Intel Science Talent Search Awards $600,000 to 300 Student Semifinalists and 178 Schools

New York, Maryland and Virginia Lead with Most Semifinalists

WASHINGTON, D.C., Jan. 10, 2000 -- Intel Corporation and Science Service today awarded $600,000 to 300 students from across the country, as well as the schools they attend, as semifinalists in the Intel Science Talent Search (Intel STS). For the first time in the 59-year history of this prestigious science competition, each of the 300 semifinalists will receive $1,000 in recognition of their achievements in science. In addition, each of the 178 schools that placed a semifinalist in the competition will receive $1,000 per semifinalist to be used in support of the school's science and math education programs.

"By recognizing and rewarding both the students and their schools for their scientific achievements, we hope to encourage more young people and teachers to embrace inquiry-based learning," said Carlene Ellis, vice president and director of Education at Intel. "These methods are designed to nurture critical reasoning skills and to demonstrate how math and science skills are crucial to making sense of today's technological world and making the best decisions for tomorrow."

Alumni of the STS, often considered the "Junior Nobel Prize," hold more than 100 of the world's most coveted science and math honors, including three National Medal of Science winners, nine MacArthur Foundation Fellows, two Fields Medallists and five Nobel Laureates.

Intel STS Semifinalists
The semifinalists, high school seniors ranging in age from 15 to 19, were selected from 1,517 applications submitted from 530 high schools in 48 states, the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. New York fielded the most semifinalists with 154 (51 percent), followed by Maryland with 19 (6 percent) and Virginia with 15 (5 percent). Of all semifinalists, 149 were females (49 percent), 151 were males (51 percent). The high schools with the most semifinalists were Midwood High School in New York and Montgomery Blair High School in Maryland, tied with 13 each; followed by Thomas Jefferson High School in Virginia (12), Stuyvesant High School in New York (10) and Paul Schreiber High School in New York (9). For a complete list of the 300 semifinalists and their high schools, visit http://www.sciserv.org/sts/59sts/00semis.htm.

Students' individual research reports are judged for their research ability, scientific originality and creative thinking. The research projects cover all disciplines of science including chemical, physical, mathematics, engineering, social and biological. All Intel STS entries were reviewed and judged by top scientists from a variety of disciplines and were overseen by Dr. Andrew Yeager, a physician at Emory University Medical School and pioneer in blood cell transplant.

In addition to the scholarship award, all semifinalists and their teachers are honored with certificates of merit. Science Service recommends these students to select colleges and universities for admission and financial assistance.

From Intel STS Semifinalists to Finalists
From these 300 semifinalists, 40 finalists will be announced Jan. 24, 2000. These 40 will make an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C. to the Science Talent Institute (STI), where they will participate in final judging. On the basis of a rigorous round of interviews, 10 top scholarship winners will be selected.

This year the top prize will be increased from a $50,000 scholarship to a $100,000 four-year 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; 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. Winners will be announced at a black-tie banquet on Monday, March 13.

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

Since assuming title sponsorship in 1998, Intel has brought back some of the traditions long associated with the program, such as the Congressional Reception and the black-tie awards banquet. In two years, Intel has increased awards and scholarships from $207,000 to $1,250,000.

Intel's sponsorship of the Science Talent Search is part of the Intel Innovation in Education initiative that prepares 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.

For more information on Science Service or the Intel STS, visit www.sciserv.org.

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