[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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