People 'n' Issues
Teen engineer wins award for air inlet system
A new air inlet system developed by a teen engineer for aircrafts won first place at the annual Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. The device is designed to improve air quality throughout the cabin and curb the transmission of airborne viruses.
Raymond Wang, 17, of Canada was awarded first place for engineering a new air inlet system for airplane cabins to improve air quality and curb disease transmission at this year’s Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, a program of Society for Science & the Public.
Wang’s system improves the availability of fresh air in the cabin by more than 190 percent while reducing pathogen inhalation concentrations by up to 55 times compared to conventional designs, and can be easily and economically incorporated in existing airplanes. Wang received the Gordon E. Moore Award of US$75,000, named in honor of the Intel co-founder and fellow scientist.
Nicole Ticea, 16, of Canada received one of two Intel Foundation Young Scientist Awards of US$50,000 for developing an inexpensive, easy-to-use testing device to combat the high rate of undiagnosed HIV infection in low-income communities. Her disposable, electricity-free device provides results in an hour and should cost less than US$5 to produce. Ticea has already founded her own company, which recently received a US$100,000 grant to continue developing her technology.
Karan Jerath, 18, of Friendswood, Texas, received the other Intel Foundation Young Scientist Award of US$50,000 for refining and testing a novel device that should allow an undersea oil well to rapidly and safely recover following a blowout. Jerath developed a better containment enclosure that separates the natural gas, oil and ocean water: accommodates different water depths, pipe sizes and fluid compositions: and can prevent the formation of potentially clogging methane hydrate.
Intel believes young people are key to future innovation and that in order to confront the global challenges of tomorrow, we need students from all backgrounds to get involved in science, technology, engineering and math,” said Wendy Hawkins, executive director of the Intel Foundation. “We hope these winners will inspire other young people to pursue their interest in these fields and apply their curiosity, creativity and ingenuity to the common good.
This year’s Intel International Science and Engineering Fair featured approximately 1,700 young scientists selected from 422 affiliate fairs in more than 75 countries, regions and territories. In addition to the top winners, approximately 600 finalists received awards and prizes for their innovative research, including 20 “Best of Category” winners, who each received a US$5,000 prize. The Intel Foundation also awarded a US$1,000 grant to each winner’s school and to the affiliated fair they represent.
The following lists the 20 Best of Category winners, from which the top three were chosen:
Category
First
Last
City
State/Country
Animal Science
Nattapong
Chueasiritaworn
Muang
Thailand
Thananon
Hiranwanichchakorn
Sutthiluk
Rakdee
Behavioral and Social Sciences
Sophia
Korner
Louisville
Kentucky
Diya
Mathur
Biochemistry
Amol
Punjabi
Worchester
Massachusetts
Biomedical and Health Sciences
Nicole
Ticea
Vancouver
Canada
Cellular and Molecular Biology
Demetri
Maxim
Bethel
Maine
Chemistry
Arne
Hensel
Homburg (Efze)
Germany
Computational Biology and Bioinformatics
Michael
Retchin
Richmond
Virginia
Matthew
Retchin
Earth and Environmental Sciences
Joshua
Zhou
Chapel Hill
North Carolina
Embedded Systems
Niklas
Fauth
Marbach am Neckar
Germany
Energy: Chemical
Kathy
Liu
Salt Lake City
Utah
Energy: Physical
Sriharshita
Musunuri
Mill Creek
Washington
Engineering Mechanics
Raymond
Wang
Vancouver
Canada
Environmental Engineering
Karan
Jerath
Friendswood
Texas
Materials Science
Catherine
Li
Orlando
Florida
Mathematics
Sanath Kumar
Devalapurkar
Torrance
California
Microbiology
Carly
Crump
Jacksonville
Florida
Physics and Astronomy
Ruochen
Hao
Jinan
China
Plant Sciences
Abdul Jabbar
Alhamood
Dhahran
Saudi Arabia
Robotics and Intelligent Machines
Ava
Lakmazaheri
Alexandria
Virginia
Systems Software
Charles
Noyes
Villa Park
California
Society for Science & the Public, a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to public engagement in science and science education, has owned and administered the competition since its inception in 1950 as the National Science Fair.
Congratulations to Raymond, Nicole and Karan! Their selection as top winners really demonstrates the extraordinary work they have been able to accomplish at a young age in diverse topics,” said Maya Ajmera, president and CEO of Society for Science & the Public. “We look forward to watching not only them, but the rest of the
Intel International Science and Engineering Fair finalists as they progress further and pursue their interests in STEM. These talented young students are the problem solvers and innovators of their generation.
The Intel International Science and Engineering Fair honours the world’s most promising student scientists, inventors and engineers. Finalists are selected annually from hundreds of affiliated fairs. Their projects are then evaluated onsite by approximately 1,000 judges from nearly every scientific discipline, each with a Ph.D. or the equivalent of six years of related professional experience in one of the scientific disciplines.
A full listing of finalists is available in the event program. The Intel International Science and Engineering Fair 2015 is funded jointly by Intel and the Intel Foundation with additional awards and support from dozens of other corporate, academic, governmental and science-focused organizations. This year, approximately US$4 million was awarded.
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