Otana Jakpor – Woodcrest Christian School, Riverside, CA

Project: Indoor Air Pollution: A Comparison of Fine Particulate Matter (PM 2.5) Emissions from Paraffin and Soy Candles

Inspired by her mother’s daily battle with severe asthma, Otana Jakpor from Riverside, CA studied particulate indoor air pollution from candles and determined that paraffin candles create indoor pollution that exceeds the current outdoor air quality standard. She plans to share her findings with the American Lung Association and the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Earlier research of hers analyzed the pulmonary effects of ozone-generating air purifiers. As a result of these alarming findings, she became active in public policy advocacy and helped CA become the first state to regulate ozone emissions from air purifiers. She is now a volunteer spokesperson for the American Lung Association.

Lanair Lett - North Carolina School of Science & Mathematics, Durham, NC

Project: Histone Deacetylase-1 (HDAC-1) Increases Beta Cell Proliferation in 832/13 Cells and Rat Islets

By 2030, the number of people suffering from diabetes is expected to double. Annually, somewhere between 1.1 and 2.9 million people die of diabetes, one of them being seventeen year old Lanair’s grandmother. Lanair’s research sought to better understand a specific protein that affects the growth of beta cells, which play a large role in diabetes. The hope is that this understanding will eventually help find more effective treatments, or possibly even a cure, for the disease that afflicts both his mother and him. With no father figure present, he turned to his mentor, Dr. Jeffrey Tessem, who not only fostered his love for science but also helped him grow as a scientist.

Yifan Li – Montgomery Blair High School, Silver Springs, MD

Project: Differentiation of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells into Retinal Pigment

Epithelium Cells in Culture Eighteen year old Yifan’s research was an important step in the National Eye Institute’s stem cell research. As a result, research in the field of retinal development and stem cell differentiation will hopefully flourish in the near future, culminating in the transplantation of stem cell derived retinal cells as a cure for visual diseases.

Kevin Ellis – Catlin Gabel School, Portland, OR

Project: Automatic Parallelization Through Dynamic Analysis

Kevin, 18, conducted research on developing a method for automatically converting a computer program not designed to use more than one processor into an equivalent program that uses multiple processors. This can make a program run much faster. In addition to his research, Kevin is an FRC robotics winner.

Yale Fan – Catlin Gabel High School, Portland, Oregon

Project: Adiabatic Quantum Algorithms for Boolean Satisfiability

Yale, 17, studied quantum computers, which rely on quantum mechanics to accomplish certain tasks exponentially more efficient than classical computers. The work implied that quantum computers could outperform classical computers for a class of hard problems, and gives new insight into the capabilities of exciting prospective technology based on theoretical physics. Fan was a US Physics Olympiad finalist and is also a self-taught pianist.

Jason Gandleman - Staples High School, Westport, CT

Project: Bioinformatic and Synthetic Approaches to Studying Advanced Glycation End-products

Jason, 17, knows firsthand the impact diabetes can have on individuals as he has watched many family members be afflicted with this disease. His research aims to find a novel therapy that will prolong and improve the lives of the millions of people with diabetes. Jason, who speaks Mandarin Chinese fluently, was also awarded the President’s Volunteer Service Award from the White House.

Well it never occurred to me to put “Ring the Opening Bell at the New York Stock Exchange” onto my Bucket List. But I think I’ll add it now so I can check it off …!

Monday was International Corporate Philanthropy Day - a joint effort of the UN and the Committee to Encourage Corporate Philanthropy. In celebration, companies were asked to submit a description of a “strategic international philanthropic initiative addressing a social issue.” The winning companies would be invited to ring the opening bell at the Stock Exchange.

We decided to highlight the Intel® Teach Program, Intel’s long-term teacher professional development initiative, which has trained more than 7 million teachers around the world on the effective integration of technology into teaching and learning.

As we have been examining ways to increase our focus and impact on girls and women around the world, one aspect of that program that we are only now starting to recognize - with real pride - is the impact of the fact that the large majority of those teachers are women.

For many of these women, in countries the world over, the confidence in using technology that they have gained through Intel Teach has been transformative. They see themselves differently, and engage with the world differently - as competent professionals who can access the broader world, and help their students go even farther and faster. Many have taken on leadership roles in their schools, education systems and even governments, and all have become role models for the children they teach - particularly the girls.

I was not really surprised that Intel was selected - I spend a lot of time talking to others about education and corporate philanthropy, and I always come away terribly proud of the role we are playing.

I was delighted to be invited to represent Intel on the day. I do wish my dad were still around to enjoy it - he was an Oregon dairy farmer who would have been shaking his head in bemusement for months afterwards. How the heck did one of his kids end up on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange?? Education of course is the answer - he and my mother made tremendous sacrifices to send their five kids to university. Which explains, too, why I am so passionate about the work I am allowed to do on Intel’s behalf. I know very personally what an impact we can and do have.

So on Monday morning, I was up at 3AM Oregon time to be there on time. Walking through the Exchange floor is a little like being in the midst of a vast pinball machine, caroming from pillar to post in the midst of chaotic noise and motion. It wasn’t until we mounted the podium at one end of the Exchange that we could get a perspective on just how big the place is, the chaos resolving into more purposeful motion - all very intense.

Then the countdown to the hour, 30 seconds of applause - carefully measured - followed by precisely 15 seconds of the bell (video - me in turquoise :)) while everything on the floor held its breath. And then, let the games begin! All the deals teed up through the night, and in the wheeling and dealing that had been going on as we arrived, reverberated through the wires and countless computer screens. The market was off and running - it was up! An auspicious start to International Corporate Philanthropy Day!

Earlier this week, Intel CEO Paul Otellini announced a $3.5 billion initiative to support investment in American companies and detailed a commitment to significantly increase jobs for college graduates this year. This is part of the Invest in America Alliance, which includes commitments from 17 corporate leaders, including Google, Microsoft and Accenture, to increase the hiring of college graduates. In fact, Intel will be doubling the number of recent graduates it hires this year.

During his Invest in America speech Paul Otellini said, “We see this as a vital investment in the next innovators, thinkers, scientists, builders and entrepreneurs. This is an area where the U.S. must succeed. Growth in math-intensive science and engineering jobs outpace overall job growth by three to one. Think about this: America’s GDP would grow by more than a third if U.S. students become globally competitive in math and science.”

Intel believes that a healthy future fueled by innovation requires that an interest in science and math begin at a young age. This is why Intel continues to invest in K-12 programs that inspire a passion for these subjects such as the Intel Science Talent Search. In just three weeks, 40 of the nation’s brightest high school seniors will gather in Washington, D.C. to determine the top winner of this year’s competition.

Please share your thoughts on Intel’s Invest in America news on our Speak Up Page, and stay tuned for more updates related to the Intel Science Talent Search!

More photos to come soon!

Arjun Puranik  – William Fremd High School, Palatine, IL

Project: Finite-dimensional Irreducible Representations of Rational Cherednik Algebras Associated to the Coxeter Group H3

Arjun, 17, conducted research that will help provide data toward generating a more thorough representation theory, used in linear algebra. This theory has been studied for years and Arjun’s research may help advance the field of quantum physics. Arjun also works on his school newspaper and is on the varsity tennis team.

Benjamen Sun – Red River High School, Grand Forks, ND

Project: Sink or Source: The Role of Street Solids in Heavy Metal Pollution of River Water

Benjamen, 17, has had a long standing love for chemistry and the environment. For his research project, Benjamen combined these interests and studied the role of street solids in water quality. Bejamen’s project was the first of its kind, and could help shape government policy concerning the collection and disposal of street solids. Benjamen enjoys chess and archery in his spare time.

Temple Douglas – Thomas Jefferson High School, Alexandria, VA

Project: Application of Hydrogel Nanoparticles for Early Lyme Disease Diagnosis

Temple, 18, conducted research on the application of hydrogel nanoparticles for early Lyme disease diagnosis. She was inspired to pursue this research because several members of her family and community have been affected by Lyme disease because of inaccurate testing and a lack of a reliable method of early detection. Her research provides a means to reduce the number of chronic cases of Lyme disease thus saving many people from the associated complications. She is currently arranging clinical trials for this year, after which a commercial application is possible.