Intel Science Talent Search Finalists Named

Record Number of States Send Young Scientists to Renowned Competition

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Jan. 25, 2006 – Forty teens are nearing their quest to be named America’s most promising young scientist, as Intel Corporation today named finalists in the prestigious Intel Science Talent Search (Intel STS). Competing for more than $530,000 in scholarships and prizes, these students hail from 19 states, a record number in the competition’s 65–year history.

Intel invests more than $100 million annually to improve education around the world and inspire and celebrate student success. The STS, sponsored by Intel since 1998, is America’s oldest, most highly regarded pre–college science competition. Alumni of the program hold more than 100 of the world’s most coveted science and math honors, including six Nobel Prizes, three National Medals of Science, 10 MacArthur Foundation Fellowships and two Fields Medals.

“While as a nation we continue to struggle to improve science and math education, these students give us hope for our future,” said Intel Chairman Craig Barrett. “Their grounding in science and math will help them make the right decisions in their professional careers whether they provide answers to some of science’s grand challenges or help guide the political and economic decisions that shape the 21st century.”

About the Finalists
Selected from among 300 semifinalists, the finalists range in age from 16 to 18. They represent 19 states, with New York boasting the most finalists (13) followed by Maryland with four, and California and Illinois with three each. Utah is sending its first finalist since 1994; Shannon Babb of Highland earned the opportunity to compete with a six–month longitudinal water quality study of the Spanish Fork River drainage system. Lucas Moller of Moscow, Idaho, the first finalist from that state in more than 15 years, has examined the micromechanics of Mars’ dust, which may one day help facilitate safe planetary exploration by humans.

The finalists will meet at the Science Talent Institute in Washington, D.C., March 9–14 where they will interact with top scientists and participate in rigorous judging sessions. The wide–ranging student projects on display at the National Academy of Sciences will include research examining human audio processing, which can be applied to speech recognition technology and cochlear implants; a study of mosquito–borne equine illnesses; development and optimization of a remotely piloted Micro Air Vehicle; and a new method for determining the age and mass of brown dwarf stars.

This year’s diverse group of finalists, 17 females and 23 males, includes two patent holders, a published author, a certified medical response technician, a spelunker and three Eagle Scouts. In addition to a pursuit of scientific excellence, 76 percent of this year’s finalists play a musical instrument, 63 percent are fluent in a language other than English, 41 percent work on their school newspapers, and five students have perfect scores on the new three–part Scholastic Aptitude Test.

The Awards
The top prize in the Intel STS is a $100,000 college scholarship. The second–place finalist receives a $75,000 scholarship, and the third–place finalist receives a $50,000 scholarship. Fourth– through sixth–place finalists are each awarded $25,000 scholarships, and seventh– through 10th–place winners receive a $20,000 scholarship. The remaining 30 finalists each receive a $5,000 scholarship. In addition to the all–expense–paid trip to Washington, all students attending the competition receive an Intel® Centrino™ mobile technology–based notebook computer. Winners will be announced at a black tie gala on March 14.

Science Service is the nonprofit organization which has administered the Science Talent Search since its inception in 1942. The mission of Science Service is to advance the understanding and appreciation of science. In addition to its education programs, Science Service publishes the weekly magazine Science News. For more information on Science Service, visit www.sciserv.org.

Intel’s long–standing commitment to education is fueled by its mission to invest not only in its business and industry, but in the future of young people. Through education programs such as the Intel STS, Intel works to inspire and educate children in communities around the world in the areas of science, mathematics and engineering. For more information, visit www.intel.com/education.

For biographies on the 40 finalists, visit www.sciserv.org/sts/65sts/finalists.asp.

Intel is a trademark or registered trademark of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries.

* Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.