The New York Times recently profiled high school valedictorians in New York City, including Adam Sealfon, a finalist in the 2009 Intel Science Talent Search. (You can check out Adam’s Inspire video on the SHARE page under SHARED VIDEOS.) Adam graduated from Stuyvesant High School and will enter Harvard this fall. The article pointed out that Adam received 13 prizes and an overwhelming ovation on Stuyvesant’s awards day – not to mention a 2400 on his SATs. Check out the article for a peek into what today’s top high school seniors think about President Obama, education, their graduation speeches and favorite spots in NYC. The last interview question was, “What is one word that best sums up how you’re feeling at this moment — about to graduate from high school and embark on the rest of your lives”?” Adam responded with, “Hopeful.” Congratulations Adam and all the graduating seniors – I can’t wait to see what great things you’ll do in the future.

The Tonight Show host Conan O’Brien joined Intel at the 2009 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Reno, NV. Check out his interview with Intel’s former Chairman of the Board, Craig Barrett, and look for the full segment on The Tonight Show tonight!

I recently read this letter in the Wall Street Journal written by the parent of an Intel International Science and Engineering Fair finalist. I thought it was an interesting perspective and wanted to share with you. Interestingly enough, Craig Barrett, Intel’s former Chairman of the Board and advocate for education and U.S. competitiveness expressed similar sentiments last month when he attended the competition. Craig said, “The real end point of the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair is to elevate the recognition of achievement of the younger generation in academic and learning exercises. I hope that more young people will look at these students and realize they can be recognized for using their brains. You don’t have to be a quarterback, a basketball player or a baseball player to be recognized by your peers and the public.”

So, what do you think? I’d love to hear a story about your experience or view on academic recognition and how it impacts student achievement. Comment on this post or on the SPEAK UP page.

The votes are in. After receiving more than 110,000 votes over the past week and a half, your  three Intel ISEF People’s Choice Awards winners are..DRUM ROLL, PLEASE. First place and winner of an HP Mini Netbook featuring the Intel® Atom^TM processor  is I-Ching “Frog” Tseng from Taiwan for her research project that looked at how mealworms might be a solution to the serious environmental pollution caused by Styrofoam. Second place, receiving an Apple ® iPod touch,  goes to the team of Peter Massey and Shaunak Bakshi from Manhasset, NY for their project on Alzheimer’s disease and a chemical agent that could potentially reverse memory loss. Third place winner is Anartya Mandal from Boston, MA for his research project that looked at how a spice found in Indian cuisine might be an answer to killing cancer cells. He receives an Apple ® iPod nano.

Please join us in congratulating the winners for the amazing work they’ve done. And congratulations to  the rest of the contestants for winning “Best in Category” at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair last month — no small feat considering there were well over 1200 projects there . I am inspired by  these young humanitarians who are making  a positive change in this world.

Meet the winners of the Intel ISEF People’s Choice Awards. You can learn more about their projects and the other contestants here.

Name: I-Ching “Frog” Tseng
Stats: 16 year-old Junior from National Taichung Girls’ Senior High School in Taichung City, Taiwan
Influential Person: My family and my school
Career Goal: Microbiologist, to help to save our earth.
Field Interest: I love to observe and find wonder from nature. I love to solve questions. This is how I started my project.

Project Team
Name: Peter Hans Massey
Stats: 16 year-old Junior from Manhasset High School in Manhasset, NY
Influential Person: Peter Guastella
Career Goal: I want to attend a university and begin pre-medicine and then eventually go to medical school. My ambition is to become a neuro-surgeon.
Field Interest: I have always had a general interest and love for the sciences. I enjoy research and the opportunities it had for entering the world of truly modern medical advancements. I enjoy being able to challenge myself and investigate things that are often beyond my understanding at this point.

Name: Shaunak Krishan Bakshi
Stats: 15 year-old sophomore from Manhasset High School in Manhasset, NY
Influential Person: Grandfather
Career Goal: I would like to do my undergraduate degree in Neuroscience and then attend medical school.
Field Interest: Medical research is of great interest to me because of the potential to improve the lives of many people. As a researcher, I find Neurology to be particularly important because of the increasing number of people suffering from neurodegenerative conditions. A greater understanding of such processes is required in order to slow down and eventually counteract them.

Name: Anartya Mandal
Stats: 18 year-old senior from Boston Latin School, Boston, MA
Influential Person: My Grandfather
Career Goal: To major in chemistry in college and pursue a career in nuclear magnetic resonance.
Field Interest: Epidemiological data in literature about curcumin’s potential to reduce the risk of cancer attracted me to satisfy my curiosities about its molecular mechanism of action.

Down-regulation of hTERT Sensitizes Chemotherapeutic Effects of Docetaxel in Human Prostate Cancer Cells

Docetaxel is a chemotherapy treatment that is a last line of defense treatment for prostate cancer patients, but its effectiveness varies. Experimentation was conducted to determine if suppression of the immortalizing enzyme, telomerase in cancer cells, would enhance docetaxel treatment. Analysis of results suggests that suppressing telomerase before treatment with docetaxel produces a synergistic combination treatment.

Name: Ashoka Sanjaya Rajendra
Stats: 17 year-old Senior from Loudoun County Academy of Science in Sterling, VA
Influential Person: My Father
Career Goal: Continue to pursue research projects applicable to medicine, and in the long term become a doctor.
Field Interest: My father is an oncologist so I have been exposed to the clinical aspects of cancer from an early age. There is much room for improvement in cancer treatments that even a high school student can be a part of.