Post by glassy on May 5, 2013 16:21:11 GMT 7
Just sharing this old article i found ages ago when i was googling Michelle. Not sure if its been posted here before. Michelle was one of the students being interviewed for the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) competition, which she eventually won first place (i think?).
The direct link is below but this article has been removed from the site before so posting the article here just in case.
Enjoy =)
WHIZ KIDS PUT TO THE TEST NEW YORK'S TOP TEEN SCIENTISTS GET SET FOR WORLDWIDE COMPETITION
BY SUSAN FERRARO / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 1998, 12:00 AM
ONE WANTS TO DEVELOP a stronger building material. Another has figured out how to speed up sending messages via modems. A third is digging into the secrets of Chesapeake Bay. They are among the six topnotch New York high school scientists three times the number who qualify in most cities who are heading to Texas next month for the final showdown in an international science competition. Up for grabs is $2 million in scholarships, other prizes and a chance to hobnob with the world's best and brightest. The top two winners of the competition the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) will get a trip to the Nobel Prize ceremonies in Sweden later this year. "These kids are so bright!" says Beverly Johnson, director of the Youth in Engineering and Science (YES) Center at Polytechnic University in Brooklyn, where in February each finalist won honors in the local, qualifying rounds of the fair. The students represent "a true reflection of the ethnic diversity of New York City," Johnson says. Three are young women, in a delegation whose ethnic makeup features European and Asian backgrounds as well as, for the first time, an African-American student (specializing in physics, which Johnson calls "the pure poetry of science"). Here's a look at our town's best kid scientists.
HENRY CHAN Age: 17 From: Lower East Side His project: A superfast computer modem. When he was in the fourth grade, Henry Chan's mother gave him a wired remote-control toy car. It hooked Chan on electronics and mechanics. "I took it apart to clean it, and I got interested in the gears and how the motor worked, so I opened them up, too," he says. Dozens of gutted toys and clocks later, Chan a senior at Hunter College High School has invented a supermodem for his contest entry. It transmits data over phone lines at speeds he says are 35,000 times faster than usual modems. He started in August and finished in November, driven by a zeal for gadgets and computers. When not working on the project (which he did without a mentor), Chan composes music, has a web page and tinkers with the gears he still can't resist inside his computer. Accepted at New York University, he's also applied to Harvard and Cornell. In Texas, "There are plenty of scholarships, but plenty of people it's a very grueling competition," he says.
LEV DRANIKOV Age: 17 From: Forest Hills, Queens His project: Making a stronger building material. An experiment that didn't work has led to a discovery that may be even better for Lev Dranikov, a senior at Forest Hills High School. Last summer, Dranikov who has wanted to be a scientist since he was 9 set out to prove that compounds called polymers could strengthen gypsum. An inexpensive building material, gypsum is used only inside structures because it isn't strong enough to resist water; if rain hits it, it gets sludgy. Dranikov spent 10 to 15 hours a week in the Columbia University lab of senior research scientist Dr. Semyon Shimanovich trying to find the right polymer. It didn't work, but Dranikov discovered something else: A tiny bit of organic solvent increased the strength of gypsum by 27%. "It is very big, unexpected," says Dranikov, who came to the U.S. from Russia four years ago. That's because his experiment could lead to a wider use of gypsum. He and Shimanovich are applying for a patent on his discovery. Asked what he does for fun, Dranikov seems puzzled. "I don't know," he says softly. But does he want to win big in Texas? "Yes," he says. "Yes, yes, I am sure now yes!"
TARA PATERSON Age: 17 From: Flushing, Queens Her project: Hunting meteorites along East Coast. About 35 million years ago, something carved out the Chesapeake Bay crater, the seventh largest in the world. "I wanted to find out if the Chesapeake Bay was made by a meteorite," says Paterson, a senior at Townsend Harris High School in Flushing. "Some people think there are patterns to meteorites hitting Earth, so this might help." Paterson scanned sediment slides made after drilling deep into the crater. She was on the lookout for telltale tektites left behind when meteors hit. (Tektites are pieces of earth that shoot into the stratosphere on impact, melt, turn to glass and return, scattering around the crater.) Paterson didn't find any tektites, but identified other signs suggesting a meteor did the digging: the element iridium, the green mineral glauconite and shock marks on quartz rocks. "No one has found what I found," says the student, who plays soccer, studies dance, has seen "Titanic" twice and is waiting to hear from Cornell and Bucknell.
XUAN YE
Age: 18
From: Bay Ridge, Brooklyn
Her project: Making plants grow faster.
Chemistry, botany and a lively curiosity in hormones prompted Ye, a senior at John Dewey High School, to study the effects that electromagnetic fields (EMFs) have on plants. More study is needed, says Ye, but she's got early proof that EMFs promote growth in leaves and roots, through her study of common mung beans, formally known as Vigna radiata. Ye, whose first name is pronounced "Shawn," expanded her project to discover that the EMF-exposed plants had extra amounts of botanical hormones. The implications are important, she explains. "I was always interested in famine problems maybe a new way of planting could be developed to grow food faster." Interested in business and social science too, Ye has applied to Barnard, Wellesley, Cornell and New York University. Meanwhile, she goes to the movies "almost every weekend I am a `Titanic'-manic!" she says, breaking into a soft laugh.
AMARDEEP SINGH Age: 18 From: Riverdale, the Bronx His project: Studying fractals. "As far as I can remember, I wanted to be a scientist," says Singh, a senior at the Bronx High School of Science who speaks Hindi, Punjabi, Spanish, English "and a little Russian and Yiddish, because this is New York." His project is a computer program that visualizes fractals small, complex geometric figures that make great computer art and, more to the scientific point, resemble mind-boggling structures like weather patterns. Aiming for top Ivy League schools, Singh likes classical and Metallica music and plays computer games that he writes himself on a computer system he slapped together by trading parts. "Fractals are undiscovered territory," he says with awe and excitement. "Past calculus, we haven't been able to go into anything really new. [Fractals] allow us to describe something completely new, like organic things like, there are fractals that resemble plant leaves.
PATRICE CRAIG Age: 18 From: Bushwick, Brooklyn Her project: Analyzing semi-conductors. The daughter of a cab driver and baby-sitter, Craig dreams of being a computer engineer one day. To that end, she tackled one of the most theoretical projects among the finalists: analyzing the electrical properties of semi-conductors. Ultimately, her work could help make lasers better, and that has plenty of real-life applications. Lasers are used in everyday appliances, such as CD players and computers, and laser beams are used in surgery. A senior who commutes from Brooklyn to A. Philip Randolph Campus High School in Harlem, Craig worked on her project with graduate students at CUNY. The graduate students built semi-conductors in the lab. Craig's project involved manipulating electrical current through the semi-conductors. Eventually, this could be a boon to telecommunications, too, says Craig. "Now, in telecommunications, we use infrared [light]," Craig says. Visible light "is better, because water and air don't absorb it." "I fell in love with science when I was 11, and I think it's the challenge that I like most," Craig says. An avid reader of novels in her spare time, Craig has applied only to New York City colleges because she loves the city and "Mommy cooks good food.
Read more: www.nydailynews.com/archives/nydn-features/whiz-kids-put-test-new-york-top-teen-scientists-set-worldwide-competition-article-1.790076?pgno=1#ixzz2SPKp8jed
The direct link is below but this article has been removed from the site before so posting the article here just in case.
Enjoy =)
WHIZ KIDS PUT TO THE TEST NEW YORK'S TOP TEEN SCIENTISTS GET SET FOR WORLDWIDE COMPETITION
BY SUSAN FERRARO / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 1998, 12:00 AM
ONE WANTS TO DEVELOP a stronger building material. Another has figured out how to speed up sending messages via modems. A third is digging into the secrets of Chesapeake Bay. They are among the six topnotch New York high school scientists three times the number who qualify in most cities who are heading to Texas next month for the final showdown in an international science competition. Up for grabs is $2 million in scholarships, other prizes and a chance to hobnob with the world's best and brightest. The top two winners of the competition the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) will get a trip to the Nobel Prize ceremonies in Sweden later this year. "These kids are so bright!" says Beverly Johnson, director of the Youth in Engineering and Science (YES) Center at Polytechnic University in Brooklyn, where in February each finalist won honors in the local, qualifying rounds of the fair. The students represent "a true reflection of the ethnic diversity of New York City," Johnson says. Three are young women, in a delegation whose ethnic makeup features European and Asian backgrounds as well as, for the first time, an African-American student (specializing in physics, which Johnson calls "the pure poetry of science"). Here's a look at our town's best kid scientists.
HENRY CHAN Age: 17 From: Lower East Side His project: A superfast computer modem. When he was in the fourth grade, Henry Chan's mother gave him a wired remote-control toy car. It hooked Chan on electronics and mechanics. "I took it apart to clean it, and I got interested in the gears and how the motor worked, so I opened them up, too," he says. Dozens of gutted toys and clocks later, Chan a senior at Hunter College High School has invented a supermodem for his contest entry. It transmits data over phone lines at speeds he says are 35,000 times faster than usual modems. He started in August and finished in November, driven by a zeal for gadgets and computers. When not working on the project (which he did without a mentor), Chan composes music, has a web page and tinkers with the gears he still can't resist inside his computer. Accepted at New York University, he's also applied to Harvard and Cornell. In Texas, "There are plenty of scholarships, but plenty of people it's a very grueling competition," he says.
LEV DRANIKOV Age: 17 From: Forest Hills, Queens His project: Making a stronger building material. An experiment that didn't work has led to a discovery that may be even better for Lev Dranikov, a senior at Forest Hills High School. Last summer, Dranikov who has wanted to be a scientist since he was 9 set out to prove that compounds called polymers could strengthen gypsum. An inexpensive building material, gypsum is used only inside structures because it isn't strong enough to resist water; if rain hits it, it gets sludgy. Dranikov spent 10 to 15 hours a week in the Columbia University lab of senior research scientist Dr. Semyon Shimanovich trying to find the right polymer. It didn't work, but Dranikov discovered something else: A tiny bit of organic solvent increased the strength of gypsum by 27%. "It is very big, unexpected," says Dranikov, who came to the U.S. from Russia four years ago. That's because his experiment could lead to a wider use of gypsum. He and Shimanovich are applying for a patent on his discovery. Asked what he does for fun, Dranikov seems puzzled. "I don't know," he says softly. But does he want to win big in Texas? "Yes," he says. "Yes, yes, I am sure now yes!"
TARA PATERSON Age: 17 From: Flushing, Queens Her project: Hunting meteorites along East Coast. About 35 million years ago, something carved out the Chesapeake Bay crater, the seventh largest in the world. "I wanted to find out if the Chesapeake Bay was made by a meteorite," says Paterson, a senior at Townsend Harris High School in Flushing. "Some people think there are patterns to meteorites hitting Earth, so this might help." Paterson scanned sediment slides made after drilling deep into the crater. She was on the lookout for telltale tektites left behind when meteors hit. (Tektites are pieces of earth that shoot into the stratosphere on impact, melt, turn to glass and return, scattering around the crater.) Paterson didn't find any tektites, but identified other signs suggesting a meteor did the digging: the element iridium, the green mineral glauconite and shock marks on quartz rocks. "No one has found what I found," says the student, who plays soccer, studies dance, has seen "Titanic" twice and is waiting to hear from Cornell and Bucknell.
XUAN YE
Age: 18
From: Bay Ridge, Brooklyn
Her project: Making plants grow faster.
Chemistry, botany and a lively curiosity in hormones prompted Ye, a senior at John Dewey High School, to study the effects that electromagnetic fields (EMFs) have on plants. More study is needed, says Ye, but she's got early proof that EMFs promote growth in leaves and roots, through her study of common mung beans, formally known as Vigna radiata. Ye, whose first name is pronounced "Shawn," expanded her project to discover that the EMF-exposed plants had extra amounts of botanical hormones. The implications are important, she explains. "I was always interested in famine problems maybe a new way of planting could be developed to grow food faster." Interested in business and social science too, Ye has applied to Barnard, Wellesley, Cornell and New York University. Meanwhile, she goes to the movies "almost every weekend I am a `Titanic'-manic!" she says, breaking into a soft laugh.
AMARDEEP SINGH Age: 18 From: Riverdale, the Bronx His project: Studying fractals. "As far as I can remember, I wanted to be a scientist," says Singh, a senior at the Bronx High School of Science who speaks Hindi, Punjabi, Spanish, English "and a little Russian and Yiddish, because this is New York." His project is a computer program that visualizes fractals small, complex geometric figures that make great computer art and, more to the scientific point, resemble mind-boggling structures like weather patterns. Aiming for top Ivy League schools, Singh likes classical and Metallica music and plays computer games that he writes himself on a computer system he slapped together by trading parts. "Fractals are undiscovered territory," he says with awe and excitement. "Past calculus, we haven't been able to go into anything really new. [Fractals] allow us to describe something completely new, like organic things like, there are fractals that resemble plant leaves.
PATRICE CRAIG Age: 18 From: Bushwick, Brooklyn Her project: Analyzing semi-conductors. The daughter of a cab driver and baby-sitter, Craig dreams of being a computer engineer one day. To that end, she tackled one of the most theoretical projects among the finalists: analyzing the electrical properties of semi-conductors. Ultimately, her work could help make lasers better, and that has plenty of real-life applications. Lasers are used in everyday appliances, such as CD players and computers, and laser beams are used in surgery. A senior who commutes from Brooklyn to A. Philip Randolph Campus High School in Harlem, Craig worked on her project with graduate students at CUNY. The graduate students built semi-conductors in the lab. Craig's project involved manipulating electrical current through the semi-conductors. Eventually, this could be a boon to telecommunications, too, says Craig. "Now, in telecommunications, we use infrared [light]," Craig says. Visible light "is better, because water and air don't absorb it." "I fell in love with science when I was 11, and I think it's the challenge that I like most," Craig says. An avid reader of novels in her spare time, Craig has applied only to New York City colleges because she loves the city and "Mommy cooks good food.
Read more: www.nydailynews.com/archives/nydn-features/whiz-kids-put-test-new-york-top-teen-scientists-set-worldwide-competition-article-1.790076?pgno=1#ixzz2SPKp8jed
