66th Annual STS (2006-2007)
Finalists
Gongmyung Lee

NEW HAMPSHIRE
Gongmyung Lee, 17, of Exeter, submitted an Intel Science Talent Search computer science project applying the Darwinian principles of mutation, crossover and survival-of-the-fittest to solve global optimization problems. Differential evolution, a branch of evolutionary computation, is a broad term for algorithms that apply Darwinian principles. Mike proposed, designed and developed two variants of the differential evolution algorithm by providing greater diversity in the population of solutions and exploring a greater portion of the potential solutions. This resulted in improved, more efficient versions of an existing algorithm. At Phillips Exeter Academy, Mike is co-head of the jazz and Korean language clubs and a four-year member of the computer science club, which designed a networked chatting program that doesn’t require a central server. In another project, Mike combined music and science by getting the computer to harmonize melody lines. He hopes to study computer science at Stanford or MIT preparing for a career in artificial intelligence, which, he believes, holds incredible potential to increase human productivity. A native of Korea, Mike is the son of Woojin and Mira Lee.