66th Annual STS (2006-2007)
Finalists
Catherine Schlingheyde

NEW YORK
Catherine Schlingheyde, 17, of Oyster Bay, submitted an Intel Science Talent Search project in biochemistry that researched microRNA repression pathways. Catherine undertook a large-scale structural and functional protein study (proteomic approach) using MudPIT, a combination of liquid chromotography and mass spectrometry, which led to the identification of multiple proteins. These small proteins interacted with Argonaute, a protein vital to the RNA interference pathway, which binds to messenger RNA and can inhibit genetic code translation. Catherine also identified the possible association of Argonaute and components of spindle checkpoint, a specific biological mechanism that may lead to chromosomal instability and cancer. Catherine attends Oyster Bay High School, where she has participated in varsity badminton and received numerous awards for her accomplishments in math, science and French. In her spare time she enjoys chess, snowboarding, yoga and bellydance and spent a summer volunteering at a local soup kitchen. The daughter of John and Meryl Schlingheyde, she hopes to attend Case Western Reserve or MIT and pursue a career as a virologist.