Intel Science Talent Search, the nations oldest and most prestigious pre-college science and math competition, awarded 40 U.S. high school seniors as finalists with an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington D.C. where they will compete in March for more than $1 million in awards provided by the Intel Foundation.
Said Justin Rattner, president of the Intel Foundation, -This years finalists who are engaged in leading-edge scientific research and the creation of new technology to address global challenges such as renewable energy, cybersecurity and infectious diseases prove that with the right education and resources, young people can indeed change the world.-
Intel Science Talent Search competitors explore challenging scientific questions and create solutions that will make peoples lives better. The inventions ranged from a portable device to detect blood disease to a cybersecurity encryption system. Science Talent Search alumni have won eight Nobel Prizes, two Fields Medals, five National Medals of Science, 12 MacArthur Foundation Fellowships and even an Academy Award for Best Actress.
-The 40 finalists of the Intel Science Talent Search are some of the best and brightest young scientists in the nation,- said Maya Ajmera, president and CEO of Society for Science & the Public, which is the nonprofit organization that has owned and administered the Science Talent Search since it began in 1942.
Students who show exceptional scientific potential in Basic Research, Global Good, and innovation will be awarded the Medal of Distinction, including a $150,000 prize for each student. There are also three second-place awards of $75,000, and three third-place awards of $35,000.
