61st Annual STS (2001–2002)
Finalists
Nicole Anne Oertli

ALABAMA
Nicole Anne Oertli, 18, of Mobile, combined advanced materials with readily available consumer electronic products -- a baby monitor, for instance -- to build a cost-effective air-monitoring device for her Intel Science Talent Search project in physics. Her method identifies and quantifies atmospheric contamination based on the spectral information contained in sunlight. Nicole believes this technique could assist in the detection of atmospheric pollutants, industrial emissions or poisonous gases, and hopes that her research will ultimately result in a simple and inexpensive solution for the detection and management of air contaminants. At Murphy High School, Nicole is president of the Model U.N., the Renaissance Cultural Arts Club and the Junior Science and Humanities Symposium Club. She is also editor of the school's literary magazine and a volunteer at Springhill Memorial Hospital. Nicole has received numerous awards for academic and artistic achievement, and her science fair honors include more than a dozen top awards at the county, regional and state level. The daughter of Dr. Christian and Sharon Oertli, she hopes to attend Rice University.