60th Annual STS (2000–2001)
Finalists
Neil Ratna Mehrotra

MINNESOTA
Neil Ratna Mehrotra, 18, of Eden Prairie, submitted a biochemistry project-a study of "junk" DNA called introns-to the Intel Science Talent Search. Introns, which Neil began to study three years ago, are interrupting sequences of DNA with no obvious function, found inside the genes of all higher organisms. To properly express a gene, these sequences must be removed accurately and completely. A complex system of proteins and enzymes, called the spliceosome, works together to excise these introns. PRP5 is a component of the spliceosome, which uses ATP-a nucleotide that carries chemical energy in all living organisms. Neil's project investigates the role of the PRP5 protein in intron splicing. Neil is first in his class of 696 at Hopkins High School in Minnetonka, where he plays violin in the orchestra, serves in student government and is an officer in the National Honor Society. He enjoys tennis, violin and political science and is an award-winning member of the Civil Air Patrol. He hopes to study at Yale and plans a career as a physician or attorney. Neil is the son of Ashok and Indra Mehrotra.