58th Annual STS (1998–1999)
Finalists
Grace C-Hwei Lin

Grace C-Hwei Lin, 17, of Silver Spring, studied hormonal effects on vitamin D receptor (VDR) motion for her Intel Science Talent Search physiology project. Such studies improve understanding of the localization of receptors and the mechanism of hormone action, aiding the development of new drugs for cancer and metabolic and immune disorders. To carry out her work, Grace developed a stable cell line, named GL48, that expresses a green fluorescent protein-tagged receptor (GFP-VDR). Such a stable cell line allows for more reliable visualization of the receptors under laser scanning confocal microscopy. An accomplished pianist and singer, Grace also likes to read, cook, paint and garden. At Montgomery Blair High School, she is in the science, math and Chinese clubs and on the staff of the school paper. She has co-authored several scientific papers and intends to become a pediatrician or biologist. Grace hopes to attend the pre-med program at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore next year. She is the daughter of Dr. Sun James Lin and Yen-Ching Lin.

Back to List of 1999 Intel Science Talent Search Finalists