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Teens take home science gold

By Sid Perkins / May 17, 2013

Eesha Khare (left), Ionut Budisteanu (center) and Henry Wanjune Lin (right) claimed the top three prizes at this year’s Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Phoenix, Arizona. Budisteanu’s work toward developing a self-driving car earned the 19-year-old Romanian inventor the $75,000 top prize. Credit: Intel/Chris Ayers

A low-cost, self-driving vehicle; battery alternatives and analyses of galaxy clusters claim top prizes at a global high school science competition

Posted in Young Scientists | Tagged feature, galaxy clusters, Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, Intel ISEF, intelisef, Ionut Budisteanu, self-driving car, Society for Science & the Public, supercapacitor

Flagging loose bolts

By Sid Perkins / May 16, 2013

Mei Kam (left), Mei Di Zhu (center) and Jia Ying Zhong (right) designed a “smart washer” that provides an alert when the nut holding the washer on a bolt comes loose. Credit: Patrick Thornton, SSP

“Smart alert washer” automatically flags when a nut is coming loose, warning of potential danger

Posted in Technology & Engineering, Young Scientists | Tagged accidents, bolt, China, Formula One, friction, getinvolved, Hong Kong, Intel, Intel ISEF, International Science and Engineering Fair, ISEF, Jia Ying Zhong, Mei Di Zhu, Mei Kam, nut, Sheng Keng Hui Li Ping Secondary School, spring, structures, washer

Pee is for power

By Sid Perkins / May 16, 2013

Adebola Duro-Aina (left), Oluwatoyin Faleke (center) and Zainab Bello (right) designed a system that uses urine to produce a fuel. Generators that run on this fuel, rather than gasoline, would avoid spewing carbon monoxide, a toxic pollutant. Credit: Patrick Thornton, SSP

The water in urine can be a source of hydrogen for electrical generators

Posted in Environment & Pollution, Young Scientists | Tagged Adebola Florish Duro-Aina, carbon monoxide, Doregos Private Academy, electric power, electrical generator, electricity generation, getinvolved, hydrogen, Intel ISEF, intelisef, International Science and Engineering Fair, ISEF, Lagos, Nigeria, Oluwatoyin Eunice Faleke, renewable energy, sustainability, urine, wastes to energy, Zainab Eniola Bello

Avoiding ‘hot’ wheels

By Sid Perkins / May 15, 2013

Phillipe Lothaller, a 17-year-old senior from Cape Town, South Africa, has invented a device that could save airlines big money by extending the life of tires. The metal device at left is an early mock-up of the design. A newer version (seen in white at center) has pop-up scoops instead of fixed ones. When retracted, the scoops don’t interfere with a plane’s protective wheel wells. Credit: Patrick Thornton, SSP

Teen designs device that could almost double the life of airplane tires

Posted in Technology & Engineering, Transportation, Young Scientists | Tagged airlines, Cape Town, delamination, getinvolved, Intel, Intel ISEF, intelisef, International Science and Engineering Fair, ISEF, Phillipe Lothaller, retread, Rondebosch Boys’ High School, South Africa; aircraft, tires, topstories

Inspired medical research

By Kellyn Betts / May 7, 2013

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Teens make real advances in biomedical science

Posted in Body & Health, Young Scientists | Tagged Academy for Medical Science Technology, Akshay Padmanabha, albumin, biomedical research, biopsy, Brittany Michelle Wenger, Brittany Wenger, cancer, College Preparatory School, Computational Neurodynamics Laboratory, Emory University, feature, finalist, fine needle aspiration, Greenwich High School, Houston High School, Intel, Intel Science Talent Search, Jack Ryan Takahashi, Jack Takahashi, Jennifer Chan, Kelly Xinyi Zhang, Kelly Zhang, Lynbrook High School, medicine, microbial fuel cell, Milton High School, nanobot, neural network, Out-of-Door Academy, polymer, pulmonary hypertension, Raja Selvakumar, seizure, Society for Science & the Public, Stanford University, Stephen Adam Le Breton, Stephen Le Breton, STS, tamoxifen, teeth, tic, tooth enamel, topstories, University of Memphis, University of the Pacific

Science on the South Lawn

By Sid Perkins / April 25, 2013

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The White House hosts scores of student researchers

Posted in Young Scientists | Tagged algae, biofuels, Brittany Wenger, Broadcom MASTERS, Caleb Meyer, Earth Day, Easton LaChappelle, feature, herbicide, Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, Intel Science Talent Search, Jack Andraka, Jessika Baral, Mabel Wheeler, Megan Waples, Naethan Mundkur, pancreatic cancer, President Barack Obama, Sara Volz, Society for Science & the Public (SSP), topstories, White House, White House Science Fair

When one question leads to another

By Susan Gaidos / April 7, 2013

Student Erika DeBenedictis spent years studying the so-called interplanetary superhighway. Her persistence paid off: In 2010, Erika placed first in the Intel Science Talent Search for her research. Credit: Martin Lo, Caltech

Young scientists find advantages to pursuing related problems — sometimes for years on end

Posted in Teaching Science, Young Scientists | Tagged American Sign Language, animal behavior, Anirudh Jain, antibiotic, audio speakers, bacteria, biocide, Brazil nut effect, Broadcom MASTERS, California Institute of Technology, Caltech, drinking water, Elizabeth Baker, Erika DeBenedictis, feature, gibbon, gorilla, Harvard, Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, Intel Science Talent Search, Intel STS, ISEF, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, John Sheppard, JPL, Kartik Sameer Madiraju, Koko, lagrange points, low frequency sound, McGill University, Meredith MacGregor, microbial fuel cells, nano silver, nanoparticles, Nanosilver, nanotechnology, NASA, nuclear fusion, observational study, science fair, Science project, scientific method, silver, space navigation, spacecraft, topstories, University of North Carolina

Teens seek invention protection

By Kellyn Betts / March 20, 2013

Credit: Stuart Burdford / iStock Photo

Increasingly, young researchers seek patents to defend their innovations against theft

Posted in Teaching Science, Technology & Engineering, Young Scientists | Tagged air pollution, air quality, alcohol fuel cell, Alison Bick, Alison Dana Bick, allergy, asthma, Brian Cho, candles, Catherine Wong, clean energy, computer model, Design for the Other 90%, EKG, electrocardiograph, Environmental Protection Agency, enzymes, feature, Haejun Cho, incense, indoor air, Intel Science & Engineering Fair, Intel Science Talent Search, Intel STS, intellectual property, invent, invention, ISEF, John Ritter, lung capacity, lung disorder, lung function, Make: Electronics, membranes, microbial fuel cell, Milton Academy, Morristown High School, Naomi Chetan Shah, Naomi Shah, patent, Patent and Trademark Office, Patent It Yourself, Patent Office, Pavan Mehrotra, Pavan N. Mehrotra, Portland State University, Princeton University, Rahul Ganguli, Sierra Canyon School, silicone, soap, stethoscope, Sunset High School, supernova, Teledyne Scientific & Imaging, telemedicine, USPTO, VOCs, volatile organic chemicals, wireless stethoscope, yeast

Patent advice from teen inventors

By Kellyn Betts / March 20, 2013

How and when to apply for a patent

Posted in Teaching Science, Technology & Engineering, Young Scientists | Tagged Alison Dana Bick, Bright Hub, Catherine Wong, Google Scholar, invention, inventor, John Ritter, Morristown High School, Naomi Chetan Shah, Office of Technology Licensing, Patent Office, patenting, patents, Princeton, Princeton University, provisional patent, Sunset High School

Teens win big for their research

By Meghan Rosen / March 13, 2013

Jonah Kallenbach (left) and Adam Joseph Bowman (right) join first place winner Sara Volz, to round out the top three places in the competition. Credit: Chris Ayers Photography/SSP

2013 Intel Science Talent Search awards teens for science projects

Posted in Young Scientists | Tagged Adam Joseph Bowman, Akshay Padmanabha, Alexa Danzler, algae, algorithm, Ambler, biofuels, biopsy, breast cancer, Brentwood, Brittany Wenger, California, Cheyenne Mountain High School, College Station, Collierville, Colorado, Colorado Springs, D.C., Drug, Elizabeth Marincola, Eugene, fiber optics, Florida, fuel cells, fusion categories, getinvolved, Glenn T. Seaborg award, Hannah Kerner Larson, herbicide, hydrogen, Indiana, Intel Corp, Intel Science Talent Search, Jane Shaw, Jonah Kallenbach, Kensen Shi, Lipids, Maryland, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Munster, National Building Museum, National Geographic Society, Nobel prize, Oregon, Palo Alto, Pennsylvania, Peter Kraft, plasma, protein, Rockville, Rubik’s Cube, Sahana Vasudevan, Samuel Zbarsky, Sara Volz, Sarasota, Science News, seizures, selection, Society for Science & the Public, SSP, STS, Tennessee, Texas, topstories, Washington