[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 98 (Thursday, June 15, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1264]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



[[Page E1264]]

  IN HONOR OF THE PARTICIPANTS OF THE 46TH INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE AND 
                            ENGINEERING FAIR

                                 ______


                          HON. ROBERT MENENDEZ

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 15, 1995
  Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a group of 
New Jersey students for their participation in the 46th International 
Science and Engineering Fair [ISEF] which was held in Hamilton, 
Ontario, Canada from May 7-13, 1995.
  Among the award winners were two young women from Jersey City public 
schools: Academic High School sophomore Rituparna Das, and Dickinson 
High School senior Shital Shah. Rituparna won the Second Place Grand 
Award and the First Place Award of the American Ground Water Society 
for her project on the removal of heavy metals by absorptive 
filtration. Shital won the Third Place Grand Award for her 
environmental project dealing with the biodegradation of 
trinitroglycerin. She previously won first prize in a competition 
sponsored by the New Jersey Academy of Science for the same award.
  I am proud to have such high achieving students in Hudson County. 
Their work is exemplary and deserves to be recognized. Their 
achievements are particularly important because we as a Nation must be 
ready to compete scientifically in the 21st century. Rituparna and 
Shital have demonstrated their commitment to future scientific 
excellence by participating in the fair. Their accomplishments make me 
feel confident that we as a Nation will be scientifically competitive 
for years to come.
  These New Jersey students were part of an international competition 
that included students from throughout the United States and its 
territories as well as 30 other countries. The 1,500-plus fair 
participants exhibited a total of 1,019 projects. The fair represents 
the culmination of a yearlong process involving more than 1 million 
students participating at various local, regional, State, and national 
science fairs. Since each fair can send only two delegates, Rituparna 
and Shital represent the best of the best of young scientists in Hudson 
County.
  I would also like to thank the Jersey Journal for enthusiastically 
sponsoring the Hudson County Science Fair [HCSF]. The fair is an 
important showcase for the area's young scientists and the Journal's 
commitment to it demonstrates their ties to the community.


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