Six students from the Great Neck Public Schools were invited to participate in the Intel International Science Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF) in Pittsburgh, PA on May 17-18, and four students were named 2018 Grand Award Winners for their science research presentations.
Participants from South High School were Jessica Li Jiang, Kimberly Lu, Cindy Wang, and Michelle Xing; and participants from North High School were Amy Shteyman and Natasha Dilamani. Each student earned an invitation to the Intel ISEF based on their top performance at the Long Island Science and Engineering Fair (LISEF) and the New York State Science and Engineering Fair (NYSSEF) in March.
All six students presented their research at the Intel ISEF, and four students were named 2018 Grand Award Winners: Amy Shteyman, Cindy Wang, Kimberly Lu, and Michelle Xing.
Amy Shteyman won first place in the Behavioral and Social Sciences category as well as the Intel ISEF Best of Category Award— the highest honor in a category—for her research, “The Language of Facial Expressions: A Neuroimaging Study on How a Smile Is Generated and Perceived by Another Person.” She was awarded $3,000 for her first-place award and $5,000 for the Best of Category Award. Additionally, North High School will receive a $1,000 grant for Amy’s Best in Category Award.
Cindy Wang won third place in the Physics and Astronomy category and received a $1,000 prize for her research, “Observation of the Chiral Magnetic Effect in the Quark-Gluon Plasma Produced in Au+Au Collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider.”
Kimberly Lu won fourth place in the Biomedical and Health Sciences category and received a $500 prize for her research, “Establishment and Characterization of Topotecan Resistant NCI-H460/TPT10 Cells.”
Michelle Xing won fourth place in the Environmental Engineering category and received a $500 prize for her research, “Direct Functionalization of Algal Nanocellulose to Enhance Biosorption for Lead (II) Remediation.”
Each year, approximately 1,800 high school students from more than 75 countries, regions, and territories showcase their independent research and compete for on average $5 million in prizes at Intel ISEF. The competition focuses on identifying, inspiring, and engaging the world’s next STEM generation. The 2018 Intel ISEF was sponsored by the Society for Science & the Public in partnership with the Intel Foundation.
