60th Annual STS (2000–2001)
Finalists
Linda Jeanette Arnade

FLORIDA
Linda Jeanette Arnade, 18, of Palm Bay, investigated the link between C.pneumoniae-one bacteria which causes the common cold-and nitric oxide (NO) levels in atherosclerotic versus non-atherosclerotic tissue for her Intel Science Talent Search project in microbiology. NO-a blood vessel dilator-becomes toxic at certain levels and may trigger inflammation and atherosclerosis by over-dilating the arteries. Linda found that when C.pneumoniae levels increase, NO levels increase as well. She also developed a diagnostic scale based on levels of C.pneumoniae and inducible nitric oxide synthase (the enzyme that produces NO) which may be used to determine a person's risk for atherosclerosis. Linda, who is fluent in Spanish, is class president at Palm Bay High School in Melbourne, plays guitar and has varsity letters for tennis and swimming. She has had two articles on well water contamination printed in national journals. Among her dozens of honors is the Intel Fellows Achievement Pinnacle Award. The daughter of Stephen and Amuy Arnade, Linda plans to study biomedical engineering at Stanford, earn a M.D./Ph.D. and become a research scientist.