PUXI CAMPUS: On May 8, Puxi campus HS juniors Christina Wang, Nelson Zhang, and their advisor, Alan Chan, flew to San Jose, California, in the United States as SAS representatives to the annual Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF). They joined over 1,600 researchers from 56 countries presenting 1,160 science and math projects competing for top placings in their disciplines, including prizes and scholarships totaling over $4 million USD.

Wang, Zhang and three other students met in Beijing to travel together as the same Sichuan region delegation of five students from last year. This year all members won awards! Wang won a second place category award in microbiology which included $1,500 USD from Intel and having an asteroid named in her honor of those discovered by the MIT Lincoln Laboratory Near Earth Asteroid Research group.

Zhang again won a Special Award as he did last year, the Association of Machine Computing award for creative applications of computer science. This year’s 4th place award included $250 USD. The Chengdu International School team of three students in our delegation also won a 2nd place award in the team category.

Christina Wang’s project, Development and Application of a Novel Screen for Detecting Biofilm Inhibiting Metabolites in Four Bacteria Strains, showed the best times to look for substances produced by bacteria that might inhibit the growth of biofilms.  Biofilms are groupings of bacteria that may cause disease and be resistant to antibiotics.

Nelson Zhang’s project, Self-Organizing Behavior in a Social Network Representation of Information, was a program that could determine connections between sets information in similar ways to humans. The application of his program could lead to simpler ways of interacting with computers other than with a screen and keyboard.

The Intel Corporation along with the Society for Science and The Public sponsor ISEF to encourage academic excellence in science, mathematics, engineering, and technical education.  They recognize that today’s young scientists and engineers will be key contributors to the best global future.

On Wednesday, 1,100 judges interviewed 1,600 students in 18 disciplines to determine Grand Award placings. They judged the student-researchers and their projects for creativity, innovation, investigative thoroughness, applications, and clarity of presentation. In addition, corporate, government, industry, and science society representatives interviewed students for special awards relevant to their interests. Zhang had a total of 14 interviews packed into the morning and Wang had seven throughout the day.

On Thursday, the public could view the projects and talk with the students. Nelson and Christina were busy for four hours meeting an interested, informed public as well as scientists offering future help. The highlight of Thursday was the evening presentation of special awards by government agencies, science societies, and corporations when Zhang received his award onstage while being shown enlarged on 10-m high TV. 

The high-point of the week was Friday morning’s Grand Awards presentations where Wang took the stage for her 2nd place category award and the Chengdu team in our delegation received their team award.

The Intel ISEF experience goes further than awards. A former participant and Nobel Prize winner said that ISEF allows student-researchers to follow their passion for science and is the beginning of a network that will stay with those who pursue professional science.

Zhang said, “I got to meet and talk with computer science students and scientists I met last year. They are an important network. We’re going to keep in contact with each other because we’re interested in the same thing.” And Wang added, “It’s really exciting to meet people from all over the world who have spent as much time as you on projects. We can talk with our projects and exchange ideas.”

I am proud of their awards, but I am in awe of Christina’s and Nelson’s perseverance and independent curiosity about solving the difficult puzzles posed by their investigations. They remind me of Nobel Prize winner Melvin Calvin when I asked him, ‘What made you keep searching for the dark-reaction pathways of photosynthesis for 20 years?’ He answered, ‘You don’t stop in the middle of solving a puzzle! You just keep going at it!’”

By Alan CHAN, HS Science Teacher, Puxi Campus