60th Annual STS (2000–2001)
Finalists
Robert Adam Horch

TEXAS
Robert Adam Horch, 17, of Weatherford, performed research on ultra-thin films for his chemistry entry in the Intel Science Talent Search-a project inspired by an earlier experiment gone awry. Adam designed and constructed a new type of electrochemical cell to synthesize polymerized nanocomposites-precisely oriented arrays of molecules. He believes that his new fabrication method allows him to synthesize a ceramic-metallic alloy with a purity and strength unprecedented for its class. Adam's research was inspired by a previous experiment's unintended result-the presence of a thin metallic film, which had formed when a broken stirring rod caused his electroplating solution to remain unstirred over the weekend. When he was a sophomore, Adam designed and built his own 1.5 million-volt Tesla Coil, which he continues to improve. Adam volunteers at the Fort Worth Zoo and is founder and president of the robotics club at Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science in Denton. He has received numerous awards for volunteerism, band and math. The son of Thomas and Frances Horch, he hopes to earn a combination M.D./Ph.D. in biomedical engineering at Rice University.