Texas teen tops Intel International Science and Engineering Fair

Celebrating the world’s brightest student entrepreneurs, innovators and scientists, Intel Corporation and Society for Science & the Public on May 14 announced the top winners of the world's largest pre-college science competition: the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair.

Amy Chyao, 15, of Richardson, Texas, was awarded first place for her work to develop a photosensitizer for photodynamic therapy (PDT), an emerging cancer treatment that uses light energy to activate a drug that kills cancer cells. Amy received $75,000 and the Gordon E. Moore Award, given for the first time in honor of the Intel co-founder and retired chairman and CEO.

Other top honors went to Kevin Ellis, 18, of Vancouver, Wash., and Yale Fan, 18, of Beaverton, Ore., each of whom received $50,000 from the Intel Foundation. Kevin developed a method to automatically speed up computer programs by analyzing the programs while they are running so that work could be divided across multiple microprocessors. Yale’s project demonstrated the advantages of quantum computing in performing difficult computations.

“The 1,600 youths from around the world who attended this week’s Intel International Science and Engineering Fair showed me that the next generation of scientific and technological innovation is exciting and thriving,” said Intel president and CEO Paul Otellini. “I hope that the energy these high school students exhibit about math and science will inspire yet another generation of innovators, scientists and entrepreneurs which will improve our world.”

This year, competition consisted of 1,611 young scientists from 59 countries, regions and territories. In addition to the three top prizes, the Intel Foundation awarded $8,000 to each of 19 "Best of Category" winners and also provided $1,000 grants to the winners’ schools and the affiliated fairs they represent. More than 600 additional awards and prizes were provided by dozens of other corporate, academic, government and science-focused sponsors for their groundbreaking work.

The following lists the 19 Best of Category winners, from which the top three were chosen:

Society for Science & the Public, a nonprofit organization dedicated to public engagement in scientific research and education, owns and has administered the International Science and Engineering Fair since its inception in 1950.

"We congratulate Amy, Kevin and Yale for having the drive and curiosity to tackle the world's most challenging scientific questions," said Elizabeth Marincola, president of Society for Science & the Public. "The work of these talented students and the other finalists at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair inspire all of us by their dedication to inquiry-based research. We are confident these students will continue their work of solving the problems of tomorrow for years to come."

The Intel International Science and Engineering Fair 2010 finalists were selected from 539 affiliated fairs around the world. Their projects were then evaluated onsite by more than 1,000 judges from nearly every scientific discipline, each with a Ph.D. or the equivalent of 6 years of related professional experience in one of the scientific disciplines. A complete listing of finalists is available at www.societyforscience.org/intelisef2010. The Intel International Science and Engineering Fair 2010 is funded jointly by Intel and the Intel Foundation with additional support from dozens of other corporate, academic, government and science-focused sponsors. This year Google is the premier sponsor and Silicon Valley host.

More information about the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair 2010 can be found at www.intel.com/pressroom/kits/events/isef2010. To view ongoing updates, join the Facebook group at www.facebook.com/pages/Inspired-by-Education/32855637280 and follow Twitter updates at www.twitter.com/intelinspire. Video footage is available at www.thenewsmarket.com/intel. To learn more about Society for Science & the Public, visit www.societyforscience.org.

The Gordon E. Moore Award
For the first time, the Gordon E. Moore award was given to the first-place winner at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair 2010. The award, accompanied by a $75,000 prize from the Intel Foundation, is given in honor of the Intel co-founder and retired chairman and CEO. Moore is best known for “Moore’s Law,” which for more than 45 years has guided the semiconductor industry to deliver ever-more powerful chips while decreasing the cost of electronics. To learn about Moore, visit www.intel.com/pressroom/kits/bios/moore.htm.

The Intel Education Initiative
Intel's commitment to education extends far beyond the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. Over the past decade alone, Intel has invested more than $1 billion, and its employees have donated more than 2.5 million hours toward improving education in 50 countries. To learn more about the Intel Education Initiative, visit www.intel.com/education and the CSR@Intel blog at blogs.intel.com/csr. To join Intel's community of people sharing their stories with the hope of becoming a catalyst for action and a voice for change in global education, visit www.inspiredbyeducation.com.

About Intel
Intel is a world leader in computing innovation. The company designs and builds the essential technologies that serve as the foundation for the world’s computing devices.