63rd Annual STS (2003-2004)
Finalists
Boris Alexeev

GEORGIA
Boris Alexeev, 17, of Athens, addresses a problem in the theory of automata, the mathematical basis for the field of pattern matching or recognition, for his Intel Science Talent Search project in computer science. Boris, who has submitted his work for publication, believes he has discovered the answer to a problem often given in introductory automata texts concerning minimized deterministic finite automata (DFA). Boris believes by studying minimization of DFAs, thereby reducing the number of states in a program's algorithm, they can be made to use less memory and run faster. His work could be used for applications ranging from deciphering the genome and DNA sequencing to speech processing and optical character recognition. After graduating from Cedar Shoals High School, Boris plans to attend Harvard or MIT. A native of Russia, Boris is a member of the school math club and has helped run an annual statewide mathematics competition for high school students, even contributing numerous test questions. An avid rock climber, who earned second place in the UGA Bouldering Competition, he also enjoys coin collecting. Boris is the son of Dr. Valery and Natalia Alexeev.