60th Annual STS (2000–2001)
Finalists
Craig Joshua Berman

NEW YORK
Craig Joshua Berman, 18, of Setauket, submitted to the Intel Science Talent Search a medicine and health entry, based on his three-year investigation of the use of ultrasound in the early detection of osteoporosis. To prepare suitable samples for his experiment at SUNY Stony Brook, he developed a controlled erosion procedure using formic acid to reduce mineral density in animal bones, resulting in osteoporotic-like bone tissue. He subsequently studied several relationships between tissue samples and ultrasound that could ultimately be used in the development of a new, lower-cost and non-invasive diagnostic method. He believes his results underscore the value of ultrasound in osteoporosis detection and suggest that an ultrasound device, when perfected, can also act as a noninvasive tool for monitoring drug response in osteoporotic, bone cancer and leukemia patients. Craig is president of the history club at Ward Melville High School in East Setauket, where he is a member of the championship varsity swim team and the award-winning varsity Science Olympiad team. The son of Dr. Stuart and Beth Berman, he hopes to study biomedical engineering at Yale.