59th Annual STS (1999–2000)
Finalists
Priyanka Agarwal

TEXAS
Priyanka Agarwal, 17, of Fort Worth, researched cellular causes of glaucoma for her Intel Science Talent Search project in medicine. She isolated a permanent, transformed rat retinal ganglion cell (RGC) culture to study how the eye's retinal cells die. The death of retinal ganglion cells by a process called "apoptosis," causes damage to the optic nerve and prevents connections with the brain required for sight. The result is blindness. Priyanka's cell line is thought to be the first in vitro model available to researchers developing new treatments for glaucoma. (Previous glaucoma research focused on in vivo animal models of the disease because no permanent in vitro models existed.) Last summer, expanding her interest in cellular research, she began independent study of cardiovascular diseases. At the Texas Academy of Math & Science in Denton, Priyanka is active in the key club and on the judicial board and has won several speaking and debating awards. Born in India, she enjoys violin, flute, reading and Indian cultural dance. Priyanka is the daughter of Dr. Neeraj and Rajnee Agarwal and plans to earn a doctorate from Stanford.