Out of 1,839 applicants to the Intel Science Talent Search, the program selected David Ding ’12 for a semifinalist group composed of 40 young thinkers from across the country. Each semifinalist received an all-expense paid trip to Washington D.C. for the finals during the week of March 8.
The Intel Science Talent Search, the oldest science competition for high school students, began in 1942, and will continue annually at least into 2016. This year will mark the 70th anniversary of the competition and the 14th year since Intel began sponsoring the competition in 1998, succeeding Westinghouse, the original sponsor.
To qualify for the competition, each student must present original research with a written report. Ding was chosen for his project titled “Infinitesimal Cherednik Algebras of gln,” which examines a subtopic of Algebraic Geometry.
Ding said he had been working on the project for about a year before submitting it for the competition in November. On the night of January 24, he received a call saying that he had made it to the final round.
Ding said, “I am most looking forward to meeting the other finalists. It’s a pretty big event.”
He also added that he specifically hoped to meet CEO and President of Intel, Paul Otellini.
About 1,600 high school seniors send in their applications each year to be considered for the Intel Science Talent Search. Last year 1,744 students submitted their projects, and this year, 1,839 students applied, a 5.5 percent increase.
This year, the semifinalists come from over 15 different states and will be presenting projects whose titles range from “A Doll That Looks Likes Me: A Study of Self-Concept in Children with Down Syndrome” by Sayoni Saha from Gretchen Whitney High School, to “A Relativistic Orthogonal States Quantum Key Distribution Protocol for Secure Satellite Communication” by Jordan Saul Cotler from Glenbrook North High School. All in all, 39 schools will be represented in the final round.
To make it to the final round of the Intel competition, each project must receive approval from a panel of judges, a group of at least three experts in the scientific field which the project examines.
In the 2011 finals, the Grand Prize went to Evan O’Dorney of Danville, Calif. for his project involving the estimation of square roots.
Many Intel Science Talent Search finalists have won may distinguished awards later in life, including seven finalists who have won Nobel prizes. Eleven have received MacArthur Foundation Fellowships, two have won Fields Medals and three have won the National Medal of Science. Five previous finalists have been elected into the National Academy of Engineering, 30 into the National Academy of Sciences and 56 have been named Sloan Research Fellows.
Between March 8 and 14, the final judging will take place in Washington D.C. Finalists will also get the chance to meet the President and Vice President of the United States as well as many leaders in diverse scientific fields.
The Intel Science Talent Search will award over $1.25 million in prize money. The semi-finalists have already each been awarded scholarships of $1000, and finalists will receive $7,500.The third place winner is given $50,000, second place is given $75,000, and the highest scholarship, awarded to the first place winner, is $100,000.
