Astounding 25 percent of Intel finalists are of Indian origin.
Bureau Report
NEW YORK: From a cure for cancer to preventing seizures, to the invention of a pain obliterating painkiller, and a stomach bacteria that converts to fuel, and another whiz kid’s idea to convert biomass to electricity, the Indian Americans community has another proud moment to celebrate and gloat in their achievements: a whopping 25 percent — 10 out of the 40 finalists of the top science contest in the United States for high school students, the Intel Science Talent Search 2013, are of Indian origin.
The 40 students were selected from 300 semifinalists and more than 1,700 entrants. They will compete in Washington, DC, from March 7 to 13 for $630,000 in awards, with the top winner receiving $100,000 from the Intel Foundation.
The 10 Indian-American students include three from California — the maximum allowed from a state — Paulomi Bhattacharya from Cupertino, Pavan Mehrotra from Simi Valley and Sahana Vasudevan from Palo Alto. The others are: Naomi Shah and Raghav Tripathi, both from Portland, Oregon; Surya Bhupatiraju from Lexington, Massachusetts; Naethan Mundkur from Louisville, Kentucky; Akshay Padmanabha from Collierville, Tennessee; Raja Selvakumar from Alpharetta, Georgia; and Mayuri Sridhar from Kings Park, New York.
The Intel Science Talent Search encourages students to pursue ambitious scientific questions and develop skills to solve the problems of tomorrow. Participants are judged on their original scientific research and their achievement and leadership, inside and outside the classroom. The 40 finalists will compete in Washington, D.C. from March 7-13 for $630,000 in awards. The top winner will receive $100,000 from the Intel Foundation.
“This year’s Intel Science Talent Search finalists are presenting a wide range of research, from optimizing algae oil for biofuel to developing a new treatment for blood cancer,” said Wendy Hawkins, executive director of the Intel Foundation. “It’s exciting for the future of innovation because the U.S. needs these 40 high school seniors, and others like them, to question, explore and help solve some of the world’s greatest challenges.”
Society for Science & the Public, a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to public engagement in scientific research and education, has owned and administered the Science Talent Search since its inception in 1942.
“We commend the 40 Intel Science Talent Search finalists on their successes so far and look forward to watching them progress not only during the finals in Washington, but also during their future careers,” said Elizabeth Marincola, president of Society for Science & the Public. “They showcase how a background in science, technology, engineering and math education can provide insight into solutions for the future.”
The Intel Science Talent Search 2013 finalists are from 40 schools in 21 states. Among the 40 finalists, there is an equal gender distribution with 50 percent males and 50 percent females, but California and New York represent over 30 percent of this year’s finalists. Finalist projects are distributed among 16 categories, including bioengineering, chemistry, mathematics, computer science, physics and space science, behavioral and social sciences, and plant science.
The 40 finalists were narrowed down from 300 semifinalists and more than 1,700 entrants. Finalists will gather in Washington, D.C. for a week-long event from March 7-13, during which they’ll undergo a rigorous judging process and meet with national leaders. In past years, this has included a visit with the president of the United States, interaction with preeminent scientists and display of their research to the public at the National Geographic Society. Top winners will be announced at a black-tie gala awards ceremony at the National Building Museum on March 12.
Young innovators chosen to participate in the Science Talent Search over the past 72 years have gone on to receive some of the world’s most prestigious honors. For example, Science Talent Search alumni have gone on to win seven Nobel Prizes, two Fields Medals, five National Medals of Science, 11 MacArthur Foundation Fellowships and even an Academy Award for Best Actress.
Intel has sponsored the Intel Science Talent Search for 15 years. Intel and the Intel Foundation have invested more than $1 billion over the past decade, and Intel employees have donated close to 3 million hours toward improving education in more than 60 countries.
The following are the projects of the 10 Indian Americans in the finals, in alphabetical order:
Paulomi Bhattacharya (The Harker School) Cupertino, California – A Novel AAA-ATPase p97/VCP Inhibitor Lead for Multiple Myeloma by Fragment-Based Drug Design: A Computational Binding Model and NMR/SPR-Based Validation.
When Paulomi Bhattacharya was making the daily train ride from Cupertino to UC San Francisco over the summer, the high school student didn’t think she would discover a compound that might lead to a cure for cancer. And she certainly didn’t think her summer research project would put her in the running for a $100,000 award from Intel, reported the Mercury News.
Bhattacharya, 18, a senior at The Harker School in San Jose is one of five Bay Area students among the 40 finalists for the prestigious Intel Science Talent Search 2013.
“It’s unbelievable. It’s a dream come true,” said Bhattacharya, who has been doing scientific research since eighth grade in areas ranging from bioengineering to chemical engineering.
A cash award isn’t what Bhattacharya is most looking forward to. “It will be great being around kids my age who love science and research as much as I do,” she said.
Surya Bhupatiraju (Lexington High School) Lexington, Massachusetts – On the Complexity of the Marginal Satisfiability Problem.
Pavan Mehrotra (Sierra Canyon School) Simi Valley, California – Facile, Single Step Conversion of Biomass to Electricity.
Naethan Mundkur (duPont Manual High School) Louisville, Kentucky – Investigation into the Thermal and Rheological Properties of CuO Nanofluids for Heat Transfer Applications.
Akshay Padmanabha (Houston High School) Collierville, Tennessee – Predicting, Detecting, and Treating Seizures through Vagus Nerve Stimulation.
On his LinkedIn page, Padmanabha lists his impressive credentials: Researcher, Center for Large-Scale Integrated Optimization & Networks (CLION), FedEx Institute of Technology; Researcher, Cognitive Computing Research Group (CCRG); and at Kumon – no prizes for guessing, a Math Specialist.
Raja Selvakumar (Milton High School) Alpharetta, Georgia – Gastro Microbial Fuel Cell: A Novel Implementation of a GMFC in Capsular Nanorobotics.
Milton Mayor Joe Lockwood and Milton City Council members had honored 17-year-old inventor Selvakumar at a November City Council meeting, reported NorthFulton.com.
Selvakumar invented a Gastro Microbial Fuel Cell, which uses gastrobacteria, or human stomach bacteria, as a fuel source. Gastrobacteria breaks down glucose in the stomach to be used for energy throughout the body. During the breakdown process, glucose disengages electrons, and Selvakumar discovered a way to capture those electrons with a carbon pad, and then turn them into current. His fuel cell can be used to power capsular nanorobots, used for disease discovery and gastrointestinal surgeries.
Currently, these nanorobots are powered by lithium ion batteries, which cannot sustain power as long as Selvakumar’s fuel cell, said the report.
“From a young age, my passion has always been in the science,” Selvakumar said. “It was only natural for me to continue challenging my intellectual curiosity by exploring revolutionary concepts and trying to invent something different. Thus, when I was first introduced to microbial fuel cells, I knew that it would develop a whole new world of learning for me.”
Selvakumar had read a Scientific American article regarding nanorobots and the potential problems for their implementation caused by energy issues. He was challenged to apply himself to create something new in this field.
“That’s where the magic of my project had first begun – the creation of the GMFC,” he told Fulton.
The invention earned Selvakumar the grand prize award in the 64th annual Georgia Science and Engineering Fair last year. He also received a $10,000 scholarship from the Davidson Institute.
Popular Science Magazine listed him as one of their PopSci High School Inventors of 2012.
But the invention didn’t come easily for Selvakumar. Lack of lab space initially caused him problems, but he was able to complete his experiment in an Emory University lab.
While the 17-year-old may have invented a technologically advanced medical battery, don’t think he’s all work and no play, said the report. Selvakumar plays the trumpet, and spends his free time on the Milton High School math, academic bowl and debate teams. He also founded the school’s chess club and is the president of the Milton robotics club.
Selvakumar hopes to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and pursue biomedical engineering or nanotechnology. As the mayor and city council members honored Selvakumar, he was gracious and humble, and then quietly left the meeting, quite possibly to start another invention, said the Fulton report.
Naomi Shah (Sunset High School) Portland, Oregon – The Toxicological Effect of Airborne Pollutants on Lung Health.
In an intro to herself, Shah writes: “My family has played a huge role in shaping my passion for science and computing. My dad encouraged me to think outside the box for continuous improvement and innovative ideas, while my mom taught me to work hard to achieve my goals. My older brother, Priyam, has always been my sounding board: offering advice and ideas especially in math and technology projects.—all with the goal of increasing the efficiency, quality, and quantity of life.
“I am most proud of my recent accomplishment as a winner in the 2011 Inaugural Google Science Fair. I was also honored to meet President Obama, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, and NIH directors to discuss my research and its ramifications on regulatory policy. Through my research, I have realized the importance of computers and technology in every walk of life. I have developed innovative solutions to make our environment safer. I have been invited to present my research work at many US and international conferences and am excited to continue researching.
“My dream is to become a socially responsible inventor and entrepreneur. I want to use technology and engineering to find innovative and sustainable environmental solutions to human health problems. Beyond high school, I aspire to major in Environmental Engineering followed by a Ph.D. research program.
She adds that she is a vegetarian all her life and has traveled to about 20 countries.
Mayuri Sridhar (Kings Park High School) Kings Park, New York – Computational Analysis of the DNA-Binding Mechanism of the p53 Tumor Suppressor and its Inactivation through the R249S Mutation.
Of the 40 finalists in the Intel Science Talent Search, four have been mentored by the Stony Brook University faculty, including Kings Park High School’s Mayuri Sridhar, reported the King Park Patch
“Stony Brook University consistently mentors and develops some of the top high school research talent in the nation,” Samuel L. Stanley Jr., MD, President of Stony Brook University said in a statement. “This continued success is a testament to the vast opportunities provided by Stony Brook and the quality of research, education and discovery that happens here every day.”
Sridhar was one of the four students who participated in the Simons Summer Research Program at the university, where they worked in labs with faculty and graduate students.
Sridhar, 17, worked with Dr. Carlos Simmerling in the university’s chemistry department on her project.
“Mayuri joined my lab about a year ago, after having applied the previous year but having to wait until space was available. After working with her, it was our loss that we didn’t get her started earlier,” Simmerling said. “Mayuri is extremely intelligent. She’s also very easy going, except when it came to the challenges that always come up when trying to solve hard problems – then she was relentless.”
Raghav Tripathi (Westview High School) Portland, Oregon – Design and Synthesis of Novel Fatty Acid Binding Protein Inhibitors for Analgesic and Anti-Inflammatory Effects through Increases in Endogenous Anandamide Concentrations.
Leave it up to Westview High School senior Raghav Tripathi, 17, to advance the future of medicine, reported Katu News.
His research on a promising “painless painkiller” that may reduce unintended side-effects and addiction associated with modern prescription pain medicine may win him the grand prize at the Intel finals.
Tripathi is one of only six national finalists in the Siemens Competition with a chance at $100,000 in scholarship money.
“The Siemens competition has pushed me toward exploring my limits even more and thinking that it’s not about your background as much as where you’re going in the future,” Tripathi said.
Tripathi’s research earned a scholarship last summer to work in a New York lab. While there, he spent countless hours working, including many sleepless nights, said the report.
“I felt pushed and I felt I couldn’t do it sometimes because a lot of the experiments weren’t working out,” Tripathi said. “Then I kept working on it and when I actually found the compound, it just felt like magic.”
No matter what happens in the national competition next month, he is proud of his accomplishments and will keep researching his project for years to come.
“The end product will hopefully be some sort of pill, vaccine, maybe a spray or something that can be used by people who are suffering from pain,” Tripathi said.
Tripathi hopes to be a doctor someday with a strong focus in medical research.
Vasudevan, Sahana (Gnyanam Academy) Palo Alto, California – Minimizing the Number of Carries in the Set of Coset Representatives of a Normal Subgroup.
A math project has earned a home-schooled Palo Alto teen a spot among the finalist.
“I’m home schooled and ‘Gnyanam Academy’ is the name of my home school,” she said in an e-mail to Palo Alto Online.