Intel Announces Winners of World's Largest Pre-College Science Fair
Intel Scholarships Awarded to Top Three Winners at Intel International Science and Engineering Fair
ATLANTA, May 16, 2008 – The Intel Foundation today announced top winners of the world's largest pre-college science fair, the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair presented by Agilent Technologies. Natalie Saranga Omattage of Cleveland, Miss., Sana Raoof of Muttontown, N.Y. and Yi-Han Su of Chinese Taipei were selected from more than 1,550 young scientists from 51 countries, regions and territories for their commitment to innovation and science.
Omattage developed a more efficient and less expensive way to screen for food additive contaminants, including those responsible for the recent deaths of many pets. By developing biosensors based on quartz crystal microbalance (QCM), Omattage's research provides a new way for ports and warehouses to more thoroughly screen for food additives and other contaminants that could be found in food imported into the United States.
Raoof's research provided new insight into how a better understanding of mathematical knot theory could help resolve classic biochemical problems. Specifically, her work focused on the Alexander-Conway polynomial invariant for chord diagrams to help prove how to classify molecules on a structural basis.
Su focused her efforts on identifying a high-activity catalyst that could improve methanol reforming reactions in order to generate hydrogen more efficiently. In doing so, Su has developed a method that can be used to improve the homogeneity of metal mixing and increase the surface area of catalysts which can also be used for the synthesis of other multi-composition materials with high homogeneity.
I know I posted about this a year or three ago. And, yet again, I'm all like, she did what?!