Intel Science Talent Search Semifinalists

The Intel Science Talent Search (Intel ISEF) is the most prestigious pre-college science competition in the US. Previous winners include seven Nobel Prize recipients and four Medal of Science recipients. Each year 300 students are recognized as Semifinalists. From there, 40 Finalists are selected with the Finals taking place in March in Washington D.C. The winner of the overall competition will receive $100,000.

The Southern California Semifinalists include:

• Samuel Kim (17) from Aliso Niguel High School, Aliso Viejo, for his work titled "Novel Fe-Based Bulk Amorphous Metals with Soft Magnetic Properties for High Efficiency Power Electronics".

• Joe Kuanheng Tung (18) from Gretchen Whitney High School, Cerritos, for his work titled "Identification of Small Molecule Regulators of PIP3/AKT Signaling Pathway".

  Identification of Small Molecule Regulators of PIP3/AKT Signaling Pathway".

• Brandon Kenneth Sim (17) from Diamond Bar High School, Diamond Bar, for his work titled "Two-dimensional Arrays of Gold Nanoparticles".

  Two-dimensional Arrays of Gold Nanoparticles".

• Curtis Yen Wang (17) from Walnut for his work titled "Effect of Organic Sub-structure on the Topology of Crystalline Divalent Metal-Organic Polymers".

• Phoebe Ann (17) from University High School, Irvine, for her work titled "Therapeutic Natural Products: Effect of H36A Mutation on Structure and Function of StfQ".

• Alexander Grant Krolewski (17) From University High School, Irvine, for his work titled "Shape, Optical Properties, and Age of Borneo Smoke Plumes Imaged by MISR".

• Eddie Qingyao (17) from University High School, Irvine, for his work titled "A Ray-tracing Analysis of Efficiency Enhancement of InGaN-Based Light Emitting Diodes through Geometric Chip Modifications".

• Laura Nicole Kellman (17) from Marlborough School, Los Angeles, for her work titled "A Recursive Bayesian Estimation Method for Measuring Kinetics of Amyloid Fibrillogenesis".

• Xiaoyu Cao (17) from Torrey Pines High School, San Diego, for his work titled "Novel Synthesis and Spectroscopic Characterization of Versatile Polymer Nanostructures Constructed Using Porous SiO2 Templates for Chemical Sensing".

  Novel Synthesis and Spectroscopic Characterization of Versatile Polymer Nanostructures Constructed Using Porous SiO2 Templates for Chemical Sensing".

• Jonathan Li (17) from St. Margaret's Episcopal School, Laguna Niguel, for his work titled "Effects of Cell Compressibility, Motility and Contact Inhibition on the Growth of Tumor Cell Clusters".

• Bonnie Rae Lei (17) from Walnut High School, Walnut, for her work titled "Cryptic Species and Synonyms: A Reclassification of the Spurilla Genus Based on Morphological and Molecular Phylogeography".

For more information, or for a complete list of semifinalists, please view the 2011 Intel ISEF Semifinals Booklet.