65th Annual STS (2005-2006)
Finalists
Minh-Phuong Huynh-Le

MARYLAND
Minh-Phuong Huynh-Le, 17, of Silver Spring, studied the response of soil organic matter composition to changes in forest density and flora for the chemistry project she submitted to the Intel Science Talent Search. Soil organic matter is a virtual reservoir of carbon, and its respiration (conversion to carbon dioxide by bacteria and fungi) constitutes the major flux of carbon in the global carbon cycle. Minh wondered if forest ecosystem management practices, such as thinning, could have a significant impact. She conducted nuclear magnetic resonance, chemopyrolytic and isotopic analyses to characterize soil organic matter and directly assess any differences, but she found none. She concluded that forest cultivation efforts may not change organic matter respiration, at least over a several-year time frame. Minh is on the varsity swim team at Montgomery Blair High School and enjoys fencing. An accomplished violinist, she not only performs with the school orchestra and the Prince George's County Community Orchestra, but also instructs elementary school students. The daughter of Thu Thi Thanh Le and the late Dr. Trung Duc Huynh, she was born in the Philippines.