[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 60 (Wednesday, April 25, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Page S2723]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    2012 INTEL SCIENCE TALENT SEARCH

  Mr. BLUMENTHAL. Mr. President, today I wish to acknowledge the seven 
Connecticut students who have been named 2012 Intel Science Talent 
Search semifinalists. This elite, national competition seeks to honor 
high school students who excel in a science or math research project in 
order to ``highlight the need for improved math and science education 
in the United States.'' Beginning in 1942, the Society for Science and 
the Public, SSP, has partnered with Westinghouse and then in 1998 with 
the Intel Corporation to offer this opportunity for young scientists 
and mathematicians. These 7 students from Connecticut have been 
selected from over 1,500 applications from around the country, and I am 
proud that they represent Greenwich, Guilford, Hamden, Lakeville, 
Wallingford, and Woodbridge Counties. Their hard work, motivation, and 
curiosity gives me great pride and hope in their ability to change the 
world. Using their intelligence, ideas, and passion, they can help 
solve some of our Nation's most pressing issues.
  Student Zizi Yu from Amity Regional High School observed the severe 
food allergies experienced by some of her peers. Through a survey and a 
case controlled study, she took a closer look at what has been commonly 
called the hygiene hypothesis, finding a correlation between the age of 
exposure to certain foods and substances and the prevalence of 
allergies later in life. After being named a semifinalist on January 
25, 2012, Zizi was selected as one of 40 finalists and traveled to 
Washington, DC, in March to meet with national leaders to present her 
findings.
  William Bennett Hallisey and Ryota Ishizuka took a unique, 
independent science research class at Greenwich High School, where they 
were inspired to experiment with the intersection of biology and 
environmental studies. After learning about research conducted at 
Stanford University, William adjusted the materials previously used in 
experimentation and examined how silver nanoparticles and felt 
substrates could serve as an easily transportable, low-cost, and user-
friendly filtration system, removing about 95 percent of a system's 
bacteria. Ryota Ishizuka looked at ways to harness the potential of 
microbial fuel cells to generate electricity through hydrogen output. 
She found that she could create a fully autonomous water treatment 
system, powering a wastewater treatment reactor, by the reactions of 
bacteria found in the wastewater itself.
  Guilford High School's Yuning Zhang used this competition, in 
conjunction with work at Yale University's School of Medicine, to 
express his interest in biomedical research. According to his advanced 
placement biology teacher, Ruth Heckman, Yuning is ``so excited about 
doing research and wants to make it his future.'' After isolating 
kidney cells, growing them in enriched cultures, and staining and 
characterizing them, he compared these samples to non-selectively grown 
cells. He found that there was an over 70 percent increase in the 
amount of stem cells that would grow from selectively grown cells, 
which has incredible future applications for injury repairing and wound 
healing.
  Aaron Shim of Choate Rosemary Hall used computer models and an 
opportunity to work alongside Yale chemistry professors to study 
organo-
metallic complexes and their possible applications for renewable 
energy. His goal was to further refine the modeling methods of these 
complexes in order to expedite our understanding and utilization of the 
way hydrogen is stored in fuel cells. Over the course of his research, 
Aaron was motivated by and hopes to explore in the future how computers 
can help ``us understand a little bit more about the natural world 
around us, helping solve real-world problems through their rather 
abstract power of mathematics and computation.''
  Hailing from Hamden High School, Yiyuan Hu examined MyD88--a protein 
involved in the body's immune system--and its role in DNA damage 
response. Through novel research of infectious diseases as part of Dr. 
Albert Shaw's laboratory at Yale University's School of Medicine, 
Yiyuan helped discover unexpected new applications for MyD88 to counter 
diseases tied to chemicals that help kill bacteria but can also damage 
DNA. Yiyuan has even inspired other students at Hamden High School to 
become excited about research and involved in the school's science 
club.
  Student Seung Hyun Lee contemplated the Steiner ratio problem as part 
of an independent study project in conjunction with his math instructor 
at his high school, the Hotchkiss School, and Hofstra University's 
Professor Dan Ismailescu. Seung experimented with the field of 
combination optimization, a study that combines math and theoretical 
computer science, with the aim to advance our understanding of the 
Steiner ratio problem.
  The success of these talented young adults is a testament to the care 
and dedication of the teachers, mentors, and administrators who 
nurtured them and their projects, giving the time and space for 
creativity, problem-solving, and experimentation. Even though the Intel 
Science Competition has strict rules about independent student work, 
these brilliant mentors inspire their students to spend their free time 
researching new ideas and thinking big thoughts.
  Greenwich High School's independent science research class is taught 
by Andy Bramante, who left a 15-year career as a chemical engineer and 
chemist to inspire high school students to love research. An advanced 
placement biology teacher at Guilford High School and educator for 36 
years, Ruth Heckman was excited to report that she gets to learn from 
students like Yuning Zhang. Zizi's research was guided by Deborah Day, 
science research teacher at Amity Regional High School. Kevin Rogers, 
the head of the science department and chemistry teacher at Choate 
Rosemary Hall, helped Aaron Shim work with an outside group at Yale 
University in furtherance of his research. Similarly, the instructor of 
mathematics at the Hotchkiss School, Marta Eso, worked with Seung Hyun 
Lee to complete an independent study research project at his high 
school and also at Hofstra University. And Sonia Beloin, teacher and 
adviser to the Science Bowl and Science Olympiad clubs at Hamden High 
School, mentored Yiyuan Hu, helping to facilitate his successful work 
at the Section of Infectious Diseases at Yale School of Medicine and 
supporting him to improve his presentation over time.
  Several of these students were invited to join high-level study on 
their chosen topics at several select universities. Yuning Zhang, Aaron 
Shim, and Yiyuan Hu were invited into cutting-edge laboratories at Yale 
University. Yuning worked with Dr. Gilbert Moeckel, the director of the 
Renal Pathology and Electron Microscopy Laboratory at Yale University's 
School of Medicine. After reading some of their papers, Aaron was 
invited to join Professor Victor S. Batista's research team at Yale 
University's Department of Chemistry. Yiyuan Hu assisted Dr. Albert 
Shaw's laboratory in the Section of Infectious Diseases at the Yale 
School of Medicine, and Seung Hyun Lee worked in conjunction with 
Professor Dan Ismailescu from Hofstra University. I applaud this 
fruitful and nurturing relationship between high school students and 
universities.
  I wish the best of luck to the seven Connecticut 2012 Intel Science 
Talent Search semifinalists as they continue to inspire others to 
dedicate their brilliance to STEM fields. I know my colleagues will 
join me in honoring these impressive accomplishments of our Nation's 
young people.

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