SSP Logo

SCIENCE TALENT SEARCH
Program Information

Press Room

INTEL SCIENCE TALENT SEARCH HONORS 40 YOUNG SCIENTISTS AS FINALISTS
New York, California and Maryland Lead with Most Finalists

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Jan. 24, 2000 - Intel Corporation and Society for Science & the Public today announced the names of 40 high school seniors from across the country as finalists in the Intel Science Talent Search (Intel STS), America's oldest and most prestigious pre-college science competition.These 40 finalists will make an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C. to the Science Talent Institute (STI) to compete for the top award: a $100,000 four-year scholarship. The top 10 winners will be announced at a black-tie dinner on Monday, March 13.

The finalists, who range in age from 15 to 19, were selected from a group of 300 semifinalists announced earlier this month. New York had the most finalists with 17 (42.5 percent), followed by California with four (10 percent) and Maryland with three (7.5 percent). Of the finalists, 27 were male (67.5 percent) and 13 were female (32.5 percent). Eight students were born outside of the United States. Three are from China, two from India, and one from Romania, Russia and Taiwan.

Paul D. Schreiber Senior High School in Port Washington, New York had the most finalists with three. Other New York high schools with multiple finalists include Byram Hills High School, Half Hollow Hills High School East and Midwood High School at Brooklyn College, with two each. Montgomery Blair High School in Maryland also had multiple finalists; two seniors will represent the school at the STI in March.

"We applaud these young scientists -- our country's future leaders, thinkers and innovators. Their grounding in science and math is crucial to making sense of today's technological world and making the best decisions for tomorrow," said Dr. Craig R. Barrett, Intel's president and chief executive officer."

Awards and Science Talent Institute
This year, Intel has increased award scholarships and equipment from $330,000 to $1.25 million. The top prize will be increased from a $50,000 scholarship to a $100,000 college scholarship. The second-place finalist will receive a $75,000 scholarship and the third-place finalist will receive a $50,000 scholarship. Fourth- through sixth-place finalists each receive $25,000 scholarships; and seventh- through tenth-prize winners each receive $20,000 scholarships. The remaining 30 finalists will each receive a $5,000 scholarship award. In addition to the scholarship awards, each of the finalists participating in the STI will receive an Intel® Pentium® III processor-based mobile computer.

Throughout the STI, finalists will join Nobel Laureates, Intel executives and representatives from agencies such as the National Academy of Sciences and the National Institutes of Health at a variety of venues, including a congressional reception and dinner at the National Academy of Sciences.

Background
The Intel STS provides an incentive and arena for U.S. high school seniors to complete an original research project and have it recognized by a national jury of highly regarded professional scientists. The projects are the result of inquiry-based learning methods, which enable students to nurture critical reasoning skills and experience science through the use of the scientific method.

Participation in the STS has often served as a precursor to impressive accomplishments in science. Statistics show that 95 percent of former STS winners have pursued a branch of science as their major field of study. More than 70 percent have gone on to earn Ph.D.s or M.D.s. Alumni of the STS hold more than 100 of the world's most coveted science and math honors including three National Medals of Science, nine MacArthur Foundation grants, two Fields Medals and five Nobel Prizes. Many have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences or the National Academy of Engineering.

The program has been coordinated since its inception by Society for Science & the Public, one of the most respected non-profit organizations advancing the cause of science. Over the past 59 years, STS has recognized more than 2,000 finalists with more than $5 million in scholarships.

Intel Innovation in Education 
Intel's sponsorship of the STS is part of the Intel Innovation in Education initiative, a global, multimillion dollar effort to help realize the possibilities of science and technology in education. The goal is to prepare today's teachers and students for tomorrow's demands. Intel develops and supports education programs that help meet the needs of students and communities worldwide through improving science, math, engineering and technology education; improving education through the effective use of technology in classrooms; and broadening access to technology and technical careers.

Intel, the world's largest chip maker, is also a leading manufacturer of computer, networking and communications products. Additional information about Intel is available at www.intel.com/pressroom.

*Third party marks and brands are property of their respective holders. 

2000 Intel Science Talent Search Finalists Data

State City School Student
Arkansas Conway Conway High School Robert Wang (1,6)
California Alhambra Alhambra High School Nancy Huynh
California San Ramon Monta Vista High School Dilip Biswal
California Palos Verdes Estates Palos Verdes Peninsula High School Elizabeth Williams
California Whittier Troy High School Bob Cherng (5)
District of Columbia Washington Sidwell Friends School Patrick Kelly
Florida Okeechobee Okeechobee High School Helen Wiersma
Florida Hollywood Pine Crest School Benjamin Zusman
Hawaii Honolulu Iolani School Lizhou Wang (1,6)
Iowa Des Moines Theodore Roosevelt High School Feng Zhang (1)
Kentucky Louisville Dupont Manual Magnet High School Matthew Reece
Massachusetts Cambridge Cambridge Rindge & Latin School William Leight
Massachusetts Lexington Lexington High School Brian Hemond
Maryland Chevy Chase Montgomery Blair High School Elizabeth Epstein
Maryland Chevy Chase Montgomery Blair High School Jonathan Simon
Maryland Gaithersburg Quince Orchard High School Joshua Levy
Montana Missoula Big Sky High School Jayce Getz
North Carolina Cleveland West Rowan High School Jonathan Williams
North Carolina Cary William G. Enloe High School Christopher Smoak
New York Selkirk Bethlehem Central High School Gordon Schmidt
New York Pleasantville Byram Hills High School Vincent Fong
New York Armonk Byram Hills High School Jennifer Kim
New York New York Chapin School Alexandra Neuhaus-Follini
New York Briarcliff Manor Hackley School Adam Kahn
New York Dix Hills Half Hollow Hills High School East Zachary Cohn
New York Dix Hills Half Hollow Hills High School East Jonathan Hertz
New York Deer Park Half Hollow Hills High School West Beeneet Kothari (2)
New York South Salem John Jay High School Chrisann Kyi
New York Massapequa Park Massapequa High School Kerry Geiler
New York Brooklyn Midwood High School at Brooklyn College Eugene Simuni (3)
New York Brooklyn Midwood High School at Brooklyn College Emmanuelle St. Jean
New York Port Washington Paul D. Schreiber Senior High School Lucas Hanft
New York Port Washington Paul D. Schreiber Senior High School Kristin Kovner
New York Port Washington Paul D. Schreiber Senior High School Viviana Risca (4)
New York Ridgewood Regis High School Joel Corbo
New York New York Stuyvesant High School Evan Fink
Pennsylvania Bryn Mawr Radnor High School Alexander Schwartz
Texas Plano Plano Senior High School Stefan Block
Texas Ft. Worth Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science Priyanka Agarwal (2)
Washington Bellingham Sehome High School Steven Hickman

(1) Born in China
(2) Born in India
(3) Born in Russia
(4) Born in Romania
(5) Born in Taiwan
(6) 15 years old

© 2008 Society for Science & the Public. All Rights Reserved.
Society for Science & the Public 1719 N Street N.W. , Washington, DC 20036, 202-785-2255.