Intel Science Talent Search Honors 40 Young Scientists As Finalists

New York, California and Maryland Lead with Most Finalists

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Jan. 24, 2000 - Intel Corporation and Science Service today announced the names of 40 high school seniors from across the country as finalists in the Intel Science Talent Search (Intel STS), America's oldest and most prestigious pre-college science competition, often considered the "Junior Nobel Prize." These 40 finalists will make an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C. to the Science Talent Institute (STI) to compete for the top award: a $100,000 four-year scholarship. The top 10 winners will be announced at a black-tie dinner on Monday, March 13.

The finalists, who range in age from 15 to 19, were selected from a group of 300 semifinalists announced earlier this month. New York had the most finalists with 17 (42.5 percent), followed by California with four (10 percent) and Maryland with three (7.5 percent). Of the finalists, 27 were male (67.5 percent) and 13 were female (32.5 percent). Eight students were born outside of the United States. Three are from China, two from India, and one from Romania, Russia and Taiwan.

Paul D. Schreiber Senior High School in Port Washington, New York had the most finalists with three. Other New York high schools with multiple finalists include Byram Hills High School, Half Hollow Hills High School East and Midwood High School at Brooklyn College, with two each. Montgomery Blair High School in Maryland also had multiple finalists; two seniors will represent the school at the STI in March. (Editor's Note: See attachment for a complete list of the 40 finalists, their biographies and statistics, or visit http://www.sciserv.org/sts/59sts/finalist.htm)

"We applaud these young scientists -- our country's future leaders, thinkers and innovators. Their grounding in science and math is crucial to making sense of today's technological world and making the best decisions for tomorrow," said Dr. Craig R. Barrett, Intel's president and chief executive officer.

Awards and Science Talent Institute
This year, Intel has increased award scholarships and equipment from $330,000 to $1.25 million. The top prize will be increased from a $50,000 scholarship to a $100,000 college 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; and 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.

Background
The Intel STS provides an incentive and arena for U.S. high school seniors to complete an original research project and have it recognized by a national jury of highly regarded professional scientists. The projects are the result of inquiry-based learning methods, which enable students to nurture critical reasoning skills and experience science through the use of the scientific method.

Participation in the STS has often served as a precursor to impressive accomplishments in science. Statistics show that 95 percent of former STS winners have pursued a branch of science as their major field of study. More than 70 percent have gone on to earn Ph.D.s or M.D.s. Alumni of the STS hold more than 100 of the world's most coveted science and math honors including three National Medals of Science, nine MacArthur Foundation grants, two Fields Medals and five Nobel Prizes. Many have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences or the National Academy of Engineering.

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, STS has recognized more than 2,000 finalists with more than $5 million in scholarships.

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

Intel Innovation in Education
Intel's sponsorship of the STS is part of the Intel Innovation in Education initiative, a global, multimillion dollar effort to help realize the possibilities of science and technology in education. The goal is to prepare 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.

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