60th Annual STS (2000–2001)
Finalists
Monika Paroder

NEW YORK
Monika Paroder, 17, of Brooklyn, conducted a two-year study of the protein (NIS) that catalyzes the transport of iodide into the thyroid and other tissues, for her Intel Science Talent Search project in biochemistry. Her research focused on two conditions, one thyroidal and the other gastric. She first characterized a mutation of NIS found in a patient with congenital iodide transport defect resulting in hypothyroidism, and then demonstrated the decreased expression of NIS in cancerous gastric tissue compared to healthy tissue. She believes the results of her research on NIS expression in gastric tissue could lead to a new approach to diagnosing gastric cancer, a highly fatal form of the disease. Monika is listed as co-author of a paper on her research that has appeared in two peer-reviewed international journals. At Brooklyn Technical High School, Monika is art editor of the school's science journal and a math tutor. She has received many science awards, including the Brooklyn Technical High School Gold Medal in Science. The daughter of Yakov and Svetlana Paroder, Monika was born in Moldova, and is fluent in Russian. She plans to attend Columbia University, earn a Ph.D. in biochemistry and conduct research.