60th Annual STS (2000–2001)
Finalists
Ann Lai

OHIO
Ann Lai, 16, of Beachwood, in work begun in the tenth grade, has designed and developed a promising new technology for measuring sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions for her environmental science entry in the Intel Science Talent Search. She has already filed for a patent on her thick-film based electrochemical microsensor system, which met her project goal of creating the first efficient and economical technology to monitor and control SO2 emissions under realistic conditions. The primary cause of acid rain, atmospheric SO2 devastates forests while also damaging human health and reducing the life of architectural works. Ann carried out her studies at Case Western Reserve University's Electronic Design Center. At Hathaway Brown School in Shaker Heights, Ann is first in her class and has received numerous awards and recognitions for her work in math, science and music (piano and violin) as well as the Harvard Book Award. She plans to be a researcher and teacher and pursue a part-time career as an artist after majoring in physics and studio arts at Harvard. Fluent in Chinese, Ann lived in Taiwan as a child. She is the daughter of Dr. Chun-Liang Lai and Su-Jane Lai.