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Recent Intel Science Talent Search Finalists
“The foundation of tomorrow’s
innovation is education. That’s why
making quality education available
to more students around the world
has inspired Intel’s commitment to
education for 40 years.”
—Paul Otellini, President and CEO,
Intel Corporation
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Each year, the Intel Science Talent Search and Intel International Science and Engineering Fair help inspire
the curiosity and innovation of students around the country. It’s an investment not just in math and science
Intel Sponsored Science education, but in the future.
Competitions
A New Generation of Innovators Tackles Our Global Challenges
The need for better education, particularly in the areas of science, technology, and math,
is a global challenge: without those skills we will not have a new generation of innovators
ERIKA ALDEN DEBENEDICTIS
ready to take on the future and solve the major problems that confront us in areas such as
ALBUQUERQUE, NM
sustainability, infrastructure, and health around the world.
As a young girl, Erika became fascinated
Intel’s investment in improving science and math education globally displays Intel’s deep
by pictures of interplanetary travel
understanding of the tie between economic success and social progress. Not only is Intel
on the pages of her father’s science
helping ensure that there will be a workforce with the skills to create new products and
magazines. Years later, she remembered
services, but it is also helping ensure that consumers and their communities will survive
those pictures and became interested in
and thrive.
researching how spaceships might be able
Seeking to inspire enthusiasm and expand science, technology and math knowledge, Intel to travel through the universe, without
sponsors two annual science competitions each year. In March, Intel sponsors the Intel the need for refueling.
Science Talent Search (Intel STS), America’s oldest and most prestigious pre-college science
She developed a software navigation
competition. In May, Intel sponsors the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair
system that would allow spacecraft to
(Intel ISEF) the world’s largest pre-college science competition. With more than 6 million
exploit low-energy orbits for travel on
young scientists from around the world vie for a spot among the 1,600 finalists. Both
what NASA scientists call Interplanetary
competitions are a program of Society for Science and the Public. These research projects,
Superhighway. Her work is based on the
spurred by each student’s experience and interests, are innovative explorations aimed
concept that the gravity and movement
at not only solving scientific challenges but also providing new ideas for solving some of
of planets create a network of low-energy
society’s biggest challenges.
opportunities that allow for more efficient
transit routes through the solar system.
Working at home and building on
To learn more, please visit www.intel.com/inside.
existing research, Erika developed an
original optimizing search algorithm that
discovers energy-minimizing routes in
specified regions of space and would
allow a spacecraft to adjust its flight path
en route.
Erika, who won the 2010 Intel Science
Talent Search, believes this single-step
method of repeated orbit refinement
could work with essentially autonomous
spacecraft and may be a practical step
forward in space exploration. The
technology also might someday provide
a way to tow asteroids toward earth for
mining. “By using the gravity of other
planets and low-energy trajectories, we
could make money!” she says.
© 2011 Intel Corporation. Intel, the Intel logo, Intel Sponsors of Tomorrow™, and Intel Sponsors of Tomorrow logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries.
ALYDAAR RANGWALA NAMRATA ANAND
LOUDONVILLE, NY LOS ALTOS HILLS, CA
While working on a volunteer project in The astronomical exploration of the
high school, Alydaar met several children universe fascinated Namrata, particularly
with Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH), the tracking of what scientists dub “
an autoimmune disease in which the body galaxy cannibalism”—the way that smaller
attacks its own normal cells. After one satellites are drawn in and then “eaten
of the children died, Alydaar immersed up” by bigger galaxies. So working with
himself in researching ways to treat LCH. her mentor, she began research that used
spectral analysis and nearly a decade’s
The research led him to hypothesize that
worth of data to find key information
long wave UV light (UVA1) might be a
about the chemical enrichment history of
viable treatment for LCH, and he began
the Andromeda Galaxy—leading her to
a two-year study using special UVA1-
new thinking about how that galaxy and
generating LEDs. Unlike other light waves,
others are formed.
UVA1 is extremely safe due to its low
energy. His research project, conducted By qualitatively and quantitatively
on mouse tissues, found that dendritic analyzing the chemical spectra of
cells, critical to forming and controlling two populations—red giants in the
immune responses, migrate toward UVA1 Andromeda Galaxy field and nearby
light. When UVA1 light was directed at dwarf spheroidal satellite galaxies—
mouse skin, the dendritic cells migrated to she demonstrated that the Andromeda
the skin’s surface. This could be beneficial field sample is chemically richer.
in fighting autoimmune diseases such
She believes that her research may
as LCH and lupus, because by pulling
someday have the potential to help
dendritic cells out of the bloodstream and
space explorers identify locations
into the skin, an overactive autoimmune
in space with a high probability of
response can be controlled.
extraterrestrial life. “Our goal as a species
Alydaar believes this UVA1 effect might is to constantly push the limits of our
help the body combat several diseases thinking—thus it’s very important that
and someday provide an alternative to we appreciate research projects that
chemotherapies. “This could be safer further our understanding of our place
than chemotherapy, because it targets in the universe,” she says. “Although
specific cells and doesn’t aggressively my research was somewhat of a
shut down the whole system. And it history project, such spectral analysis
could be cheaper, because it’s a therapy projects can help us identify stars with
from a light source that can be plugged in high metallicities, stars around which
and used again and again,” he says. “It’s chemically enriched, Earth-like planets
exciting to work on something with such may orbit.”
potential for real-world application.”