Intel's International Science Fair Places Eco-Inspired Project in Top Three
Photo via Intel
Intel International Science and Engineering Fair had a lot of cool entries, as we mentioned last week. They've announced the three top projects. Not only were all three finalists young women - go science savvy girls! - but one of them was an eco-inspired project to help with water pollution issues. Li Boynton, a high school student from Houston, TX, developed a biosensor from bioluminescent bacteria (a living organism that gives off light) to detect the presence of contaminants in public water. Li’s biosensor is cheaper and easier to use than current biosensors and she hopes it can be used in developing countries to reduce water toxicity. Check out a video of the winners and Boynton's project after the jump.
Boynton, and each of the other two winners, will receive a $50,000 scholarship from the Intel Foundation. How's that for an incentive to put the earth first!
The two brilliant young women who won alongside Boynton are:
Tara Adiseshan identified and classified the evolutionary relationships between sweat bees and the nematodes (microscopic worms) that live inside them. Tara was able to
prove that because the two have such ecologically intimate relationships, they also have
an evolutionary relationship. That is to say, if one species evolves, the other will follow.
Olivia Schwob isolated a gene that can be used to improve the intelligence of a worm.
The results could help us better understand how humans learn and even prevent, treat and
cure mental disabilities in the future.
More on Science Savvy Students:
Students at Intel's Science Fair Show Off Incredible Eco-Focused Projects
3 Finalists for Intel Science Fair Are Eco-Inspired
Science Meets Art in the Black Cloud Citizen Science League
Siemens, Discovery and the NSTA Announce Student Finalists in We Can Change the World Challenge