59th Annual STS (1999–2000)
Finalists
Bob Wen-Chieh Cherng

CALIFORNIA
Bob Wen-Chieh Cherng, 17, of Whittier, studied a process important in atmospheric chemistry for the Intel Science Talent Search: the transition of two gases, ammonia and hydrogen halide, into airborne clusters of solid ammonium halide. Using quantum chemical computational techniques to simulate the formation of these clusters, he found that the transition from the gaseous state to the solid state occurs very abruptly. He concluded that electrostatic interactions at the molecular level are a critical factor in the gas-to-solid transition. Bob believes his work, all done via the computer, could be applied to the study of how acid rain is formed or how the ozone is depleted. First in a class of 515 at Troy High School in Fullerton, Bob is co-president of the Future Scientists and Engineers of America club and co-captain of the science olympiad team. At the National Science Olympiad last year, his school's team won first place, and he won a gold medal in his own event, Polymer Detectives. A two-summer hospital volunteer born in Taiwan, Bob plans to study computer science and chemistry in college in preparation for a career as a research scientist.  He is the son of Dr. Show Shan and Pein Cherng.