63rd Annual STS (2003-2004)
Finalists
Neha Chauhan

NEW YORK
Neha Chauhan, 17, of Staten Island, identified potential new preventive and therapeutic roles of dietary polyphenolic and flavonoid compounds in preventing Alzheimer's disease (AD) for her Intel Science Talent Search project in medicine and health. Neha combined her chemical extraction, fluorescence and electron microscopy skills to demonstrate structural relationships of walnut extract and flavonoids found in food such as vegetables, herbs, tea and red wine, that inhibit formation of insoluble amyloid beta-protein fibrils. When deposited within the human brain, these fibrils cause AD. As founder and national president of Teens for Alzheimer's Awareness, Neha hopes to use her research and teaching talents to educate society, particularly young adults, about AD. After graduating from Susan E. Wagner High School, she hopes to complete an M.D./Ph.D. program in biological sciences at Harvard, ultimately specializing in the field of geriatrics. Ranked first in her class of 457, Neha has received not only numerous science honors and awards, but also a scholarship for her outstanding achievements in arts and dance. Neha is the daughter of Drs. Ved and Abha Chauhan.