October 25, 2006

"America's Top Young Scientist" Chosen at 8th Annual Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge

Over $100,000 in Scholarships and Prizes awarded to "Disease
Detectives" in Washington, D.C.

Out of an original field of thousands of middle school students across the United States, 14-year-old Nolan Kamitaki was chosen as "America's Top Young Scientist of the Year" by a panel of judges at the 8th annual Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge (DCYSC). Kamitaki, a student at Waiakea Intermediate School in Hilo, Hawaii, was selected as the grand prize winner from an elite group of 40 of the top young scientists in the nation and was awarded a $20,000 scholarship.

The DCYSC, created by Discovery Communications and Science Service, provides students an opportunity to test their knowledge and push their limits as they explore the world of science. It also encourages them to be great science communicators and share what they know with others, a core objective of Discovery's efforts. The DCYSC is the nation's premier science contest for students in grades 5-8.

The second-place winner in the competition was 14-year-old Jacob Hurwitz of Rockville, Md., and third place was awarded to 15-year-old Amy David of Pinedale, Wyo. The best team in the competition won the National Institutes of Health Team Award. Members of the winning team were Nicholas Anthony of Fort Myers, Fla.; Amy David of Pinedale, Wyo.; Shilpi Ganguly of Overland Park, Kan; Anthony Hennig of Powhatan, Va.; and Nolan Kamitaki of Hilo, Hawaii. Other top prizes included:

• The Animal Planet "Animals Everywhere" Award—Jayne Thompson of Pinedale, Wyo.
• Discovery Commerce "Sights to See" Award—Jack Grundy of Louisville, Ky.
• Discovery Channel "Atlas" Award—Mackensie Quade of New Brighton, Minn.
• Discovery Health "Forensics Camp" Award—Scott Yu of Rockville, Md.
• TLC-TURBO Science of Production Award—Joseph Church of Washington, D.C.
• Lowell Observatory "Star Gazer" Award—Nicholas Anthony of Fort Myers, Fla.
• Military Channel "Aviation Challenge" Award—Anthony Hennig of Powhatan, Va.
• The Science Channel "Space Camp" Award—Taylor Jones of Marysville, Tenn.
• Discovery Times "Tech Trip" Award—David Tao of Bethesda, Md.
• Discovery Kids "TV Star" Award—Aaron Burrows of San Antonio, Texas
• Travel Channel "Dream Science Trip" Award—David Cohn III of Poway, Calif.
• Discovery Education "Educator" Award—W. Garrett Pete of Lakeville, Minn.
• National Park Service "Explorer" Award—Theresa Oei of Hebron, Conn.

The awards ceremony took place at the Discovery Channel's headquarters outside Washington, D.C., and featured remarks by Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, John Hendricks, founder and chairman of Discovery, and Judith McHale, president and CEO of Discovery. Scott Yu of Rockville, Md., was chosen by the finalists as the student speaker at the ceremony.

The 40 finalists traveled to Washington, D.C., Oct. 21-25, where they took part in the DCYSC finalist competition at the National Institutes of Health campus in Bethesda, Md. The finalists competed in team-based, interactive challenges designed around the theme of "Disease Detectives." The young scientists had to use their scientific know-how to find solutions to this year's challenges.

From the global scare of bird flu to the domestic epidemic of obesity, this year's theme was poignantly relevant. Each challenge required the young scientists to rely on their broad range of scientific knowledge in order to explore and understand today's health issues. The students were presented with a wide range of experiments to test their science skills. These action-packed activities were taped for broadcast on the Discovery Channel.

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September 14, 2006

2006 DCYSC Finalists Announced!

Discovery Communications and Science Service are pleased to announce the 40 finalists of the 2006 Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge (DCYSC). These students were chosen from 1,900 entrants representing 273 affiliated fairs from 47 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. The 40 finalists were selected from the top 400 national semifinalists announced in August.

The 40 finalists come from 20 states and the District of Columbia. The top states represented are Florida with 7 finalists, California (4), Texas (4), Maryland (3), and Colorado, Hawaii, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wyoming, each with 2. States sending one finalist to this year's Challenge are Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Montana, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, and the District of Columbia.

The 40 finalists include 22 males and 18 females. By grade level, they include 2 fifth grader, 8 sixth graders, 12 seventh graders and 18 eighth graders. The grade listed for each student is for the 2005-2006 school year. By the time of this announcement these students will have advanced to the next grade level.

The forty finalists will travel on an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., Oct. 21-25, 2006, to compete in science challenges. Finalists will present their projects at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History on Sunday, Oct. 22, 2006 from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. This event is open to the public and visitors are welcome.

Finalists will share over $100,000 in scholarships and other prizes. The top winner will win a $20,000 scholarship. Winners will be announced at a final awards ceremony on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2006.

The 2006 DCYSC finalists are:

Almas Ugurgizi Abdulla
Grade 8, Stone Middle School
Melbourne, Fla.
Universal Law for the Periodic Windows within Chaos in the Logistic Model for Biological Populations

Nick Alan Anthony
Grade 6, Three Oaks Middle School
Ft. Myers, Fla.
Effect of an Electromagnetic Field on Eremosphaera Algae Cells

Shalila Alejandra Baena
Grade 6, Haaheo Elementary School
Hilo, Hawaii
Comparison of the Number and Types of Endophytic Fungi in Leaves and Flowers of Selected Angiosperms

Aaron Phillip Burrows
Grade 7, Bradley Middle School
San Antonio, Texas
This Bud's for You: A Study of Hydra vulgaris and the Effects of Melatonin on Heat Stress

Joseph Christopher Church
Grade 8, Alice Deal Junior High School
Washington, D.C.
The Human Dynamo

David Milton Cohn, III
Grade 7, The Rhoades School
Encinitas, Calif.
From Ashes to Life: Burned Region Plant Regeneration and Soil Transformation

Amy Jane David (with Jayne B. Thompson)
Grade 8, Pinedale Middle School
Pinedale, Wyo.
When the Dust Settles, Year Two: A Multivariable Study of the Patterns of Near and Far Dispersal of Wind-Blown Particulate Matter

Isabella Rosa Dominguez
Grade 8, Key Biscayne Elementary School
Miami, Fla.
The Effect of Temperature and Percent Protein Content on the Red Claw Lobster, Cherax quadricarinatus

Cyanna Skye Edwards
Grade 8, Buckner Fanning Christian School
San Antonio, Texas
Of Mice & Supermen, II: Synergy Test to Increase Neuron Lifespan After Trauma Cuts Off NGF with a Goal to Limit Paralysis After Spinal Cord Injury

Erin Nicole Edwards
Grade 5, John Hancock Charter School
Pleasant Grove, Utah
It's Not Easy Being Green: Why Hair Turns Green in Swimming Pools and How to Get It Out

Shilpi Ganguly
Grade 6, Trailwood Elementary School
Overland Park, Mo.
Beeturia: Can It Diagnose Iron Deficiency in the Community?

Jack Mark Grundy
Grade 6, St. Francis of Assisi School
Louisville, Ky.
Are Common Athletic Field Soils Hospitable for Staphylococcus aureus?

Anthony Ian Hennig
Grade 7, Powhatan Junior High School
Powhatan, Va.
Crater Making 101: The Effect of the Entry Angle of a Projectile on the Shape of the Crater It Forms

Jacob Benjamin Hurwitz (with Scott Sang Yu)
Grade 8, Robert Frost Middle School
Rockville, Md.
Disumbocoblated

Otana Agape Jakpor
Grade 7, Woodcrest Christian School
Riverside, Calif.
Do Artificial Nails and Nail Polish Interfere with the Accurate Measurement of Oxygen Saturation by Pulse Oximetry?

Taylor Wesley Jones
Grade 7, Alcoa Middle School
Alcoa, Tenn.
Using DNA Fingerprinting to Find Patterns of Antibiotic Resistance in E. coli

Theo Percy Jones
Grade 6, Jones Home School
Tucson, Ariz.
How Can Modern Potters Make Their Pots Like Prehistoric People Did?

Nolan M.K. Kamitaki
Grade 8, Waiakea Intermediate School
Hilo, Hawaii
Arsenic in the Schools and the Students?

Manpreet Kaur
Grade 8, Seabrook Intermediate School
Seabrook, Texas
Herbal Sunscreens, UV Damage, and Skin Aging

Sophie Haruna Klimcak
Grade 8, Palos Verdes Intermediate School
Palos Verdes, Calif.
Can the Black Ghost Knifefish Navigate an Underwater Maze in Complete Darkness?

Nicholas Andrew Lemp
Grade 7, Lemp Home School
Waterford, Mich.
The Dirt on Dirt

Jason Eric Lloyd
Grade 8, Bonaire Middle School
Bonaire, Ga.
To Kill a Mosquito

Mikael Hagop Matossian
Grade 7, A.G.B.U. Manoogian Demirdjan School
Canoga Park, Calif.
The Effect of Carbon Dioxide and Ozone Enrichment on the Growth Behavior of Bush Bean Plants

Collin Northcott McAliley
Grade 7, Cocoa Beach Junior/Senior High School
Cocoa Beach, Fla.
Fatal Attraction: The Use of Clay to Control Florida Red Tide

Jayleen Jo McAlpine
Grade 6, Sunburst Elementary School
Sunburst, Mont.
The Effect of Cigarette Butt Filters on the Heart Rate of Daphnia

Kushal Ulhas Naik
Grade 8, H.B. DuPont Middle School
Hockessin, Del.
Inactivation of Polyphenoloxidase Which Causes Browning in Apples

Theresa A. Oei
Grade 7, Oei Home School
Hebron, Conn.
Design of Improved Sand Fencing System to Accelerate the Growth of Sand Dunes and Prevent Coastline Erosion

William Garrett Pete
Grade 5, Christina Huddleston Elementary School
Lakeville, Minn.
What Lubricant Works the Best for Hobby Wheel Applications?

Lindsey Leona Precht
Grade 7, Miami Lakes Middle School
Miami, Fla.
Feeding Preference of the Sea Urchin, Eucidaris tribuloides, Using Assays of Seagrass and Algae: The Potential of Using Sea Urchins as a Reef Restoration Tool

Mackensie Kathryn Quade
Grade 8, St. John the Baptist School
New Brighton, Minn.
What Are the Effects of the Calcium Phosphate Ion Concentrations of Acidic Plaque Fluid on Tooth Demineralization?

Radhika Rawat
Grade 8, Summit Middle School
Boulder, Colo.
Got Vitamins?

Philip Daniel Ricker
Grade 6, Ropesville Independent School District
Ropesville, Texas
Mold: Can You Filter It?

Michael T. Sewell
Grade 7, Everest Academy
Clarkston, Mich.
Can Aluminum "Foil" Your Brain? Does Aluminum Leach Out from Aluminum Foil into Your Food?

Aarthi Shankar
Grade 8, Mountain Ridge Middle School
Colorado Springs, Colo.
Dirty Laundry Secrets

David Tao
Grade 8, Takoma Park Middle School
Silver Spring, Md.
Parasitic Crawling Vines and Their Impact on Native Flora

Jayne B. Thompson (with Amy Jane David)
Grade 8, Pinedale Middle School
Pinedale, Wyo.
When the Dust Settles, Year Two: A Multivariable Study of the Patterns of Near and Far Dispersal of Wind-Blown Particulate Matter

Paige Erin Thompson
Grade 7, Lincoln Memorial Middle School
Palmetto, Fla.
Arsenic: The Poison in Your Backyard

Joel Jack Tinker
Grade 6, Covenant Christian Academy
Huntsville, Ala.
Splish Splash: Fuel Sloshing in Rockets and Automobiles

Trevor Will van Voorthuijsen
Grade 8, van Voorthuijsen Home School
Lecanto, Fla.
A Wink Is as Good as a Nod . . . Are There Gender Differences in the Ability to Interpret Facial Expressions?

Scott Sang Yu (with Jacob Benjamin Hurwitz)
Grade 8, Robert Frost Middle School
Rockville, Md.
Disumbocoblated

This year's DCYSC theme, "Disease Detectives," features a series of challenges in which the finalists, working in teams, will investigate global health concerns, their causes and their impact—from avian flu to obesity. This focus sparked the interest of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) which, since 1887, has helped lead the way toward important medical discoveries that improve people's health and save lives. NIH will collaborate with DCYSC in the final round of the 2006 challenge, including hosting this year's program. In this capacity, the Institutes also will work with the competition's lead scientist to formulate and design the experiments, built around current health trend issues.

Each challenge will require the young scientists to rely on their broad range of scientific knowledge in order to explore and understand today's health issues. The students will be presented with a wide range of experiments to test their science skills. These action-packed activities will be taped for broadcast on the Discovery Channel.

The finalists were chosen based on their written essays about science fair projects that each had presented at their local science fairs across the country. During the DCYSC finals, the finalists will present their research to judges and the public, using their communication skills and creative thinking as science communicators to explain the complexities of their research.

Finalists will compete for more than $100,000 worth of scholarships and special prizes, as well as the title of "America's Top Young Scientist of the Year."

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August 23, 2006

2006 DCYSC Semifinalists Announced!

400 Middle School Semifinalists from 43 States, Puerto Rico, and Washington, D.C., Named to Compete in Discovery Channel's Young Scientist Challenge

The countdown to choosing the nation's top young scientist began today as Discovery Communications and Science Service announced the 400 middle school students from around the country selected as semifinalists in the 2006 Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge (DCYSC). The DCYSC is the nation's premier science contest for students in grades 5-8. The competition, created by Discovery Communications and administered by Science Service, gives students the opportunity to test their knowledge and push their limits as they explore the world of science.

The full list of 400 semifinalists, their hometowns and schools, and the titles of their winning entries can be found at www.discovery.com/dcysc or www.sciserv.org/dcysc/06dcysc/semis06.pdf.

The Semifinalists

In the eighth year of the DCYSC, more than 7,500 students won a DCYSC nomination at their local, regional, or state fair, where they received a lapel pin, a certificate, and a chance to enter the national competition by completing a written entry form. Science Service received 1,900 entries from 273 affiliated fairs representing 47 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. All of these students should be applauded for their hard work and efforts! Each received a 2006 DCYSC T-shirt for entering.

To come up with the list of semifinalists, evaluators and judges spent the summer reading and reviewing the entries, looking for those students with projects that demonstrated scientific merit and originality and who were able to communicate this process clearly and creatively to the judges via the entry form.

The 400 semifinalists and contenders for the title of "America's Top Young Scientist" come from 43 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia. The top state represented is Florida, with 36 semifinalists. California and Texas each have 32; Missouri and Utah each have 18.

These talented students, consisting of 207 males and 193 females, represent 343 schools. Thirty-four are from 5th grade, 85 from 6th grade, 107 from 7th grade, and 174 from 8th grade. (The grade listed for each student is for the 2005-2006 school year. By the time of this announcement these students will have advanced to the next grade level.)

The 400 projects selected to advance to the semifinals run the scientific gamut, from biochemistry to physics, from zoology to health, and from mathematics to engineering. Each of the students submitted projects that were innovative and imaginative, with a level of complexity that might make the average adult's head spin. These semifinalists were also chosen for their ability to effectively communicate the reasoning and purpose behind their projects.

"As the United States struggles to compete with other nations in the fields of science and technology, Americans need goal-oriented, knowledgeable and imaginative students who excel in these areas. This year's semifinalists fit the bill exquisitely," says Steve Jacobs, DCYSC head judge. "Even more impressive, and a fundamental part of our competition, is their skill in explaining their work to others, a prerequisite of scientific leadership."

The countdown to choosing America's Top Young Scientist continues next month, on Sept. 14, when the field of 400 semifinalists is narrowed by the DCYSC judges to the "Final Forty." The finalists receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., from Oct. 21-25 to compete in science challenges for more than $100,000 worth of scholarships and special prizes.

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June 16, 2006

Congratulations to DCYSC Entrants!

Across the country, more than 7,000 students were nominated for the Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge (DCYSC) at science fairs throughout the spring.

More than 1,800 of these nominees from 297 fairs and over 1,200 schools submitted DCYSC entries by the June 7, 2006, deadline. Each student won a 2006 DCYSC T-shirt for getting his or her entry in and is now part of the next phase of competition.

Currently, DCYSC evaluators are scoring all the entries that we received and, with their scores and some help from our top DCYSC judges, we will narrow the pool to 400 semifinalists. Semifinalists will be announced mid-August. From the semifinalists, 40 finalists will be chosen for an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., where they will compete in scientific challenges and have the chance to win cool awards, including scholarships and trips. Finalists will be announced mid-September.

Have a great summer! To view the finalist and semifinalist lists, please continue to check our Web site. For great summer science writing and project ideas, check out www.sciencenewsforkids.org.

For more information about the DCYSC and last year's challenges and award winners, please visit www.discovery.com/dcysc.

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April 28, 2006

Former DCYSC Finalists at ISEF 2006

Congratulations to former Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge finalists who are participating in the 2006 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, May 7-13, Indianapolis.

Elizabeth Baker, Grade 12
The Wishing Tree: A Six-Year Analysis of Human Desire
See "The Science Fair Circuit."

Peter Borden, Grade 10
Life in the Stratosphere: Investigating Bacteria on the Edge of the Earth
See "The Science Fair Circuit."

Sara Clark, Grade 10
The Effects of Heated and Unheated Disaccharide Substitutes on Lifespan, Mortality Rates, and Gender Ratios of Drosophila melanogaster during the F-1 and F-2 Generations

Ian Cummings, Grade 11
A Pox On You? A Study of the Effectiveness of the CDC's Response Plans to a Smallpox Outbreak

Erica David, Grade 10
Boards and Branches, Year 5: A Continued Multivariable Study of Snow Interception for Water Conservation
See "Snow Traps."

Nicholas Ekladyous, Grade 10
IMPAXX: Designing Better Playground Surfaces with Finite Element Analysis

Benjamin Fruits, Grade 12
Hippospongia Lachne versus Hypoxia

Joanna Guy, Grade 9
For the Birds: Testing the Efficacy of Sonic and Ultrasonic Bird Deterrent Devices
See "The Science Fair Circuit" and "Saving Birds from Wind Turbines."

Stephanie Hicks, Grade 10
The Effects of Heated and Unheated Disaccharide Substitutes on Lifespan, Mortality Rates, and Gender Ratios of Drosophila melanogaster during the F-1 and F-2 Generations

Abigail Hines, Grade 11
Evaluation of Diatomaceous Earth Combined with Pyrethrin to Control Rhizopertha dominica in Stored Wheat

Christine Johns, Grade 10
Xylitol Xtreme 2: A Time Sequencing Study Assessing the Inhibitory Effect of Pentahydroxypentane (xylitol) on the Bacterial Growth Curve of Streptococcus mutans

Luis Lafer-Sousa, Grade 11
Preventing Amyloid Aggregation with Osmolytes in vitro and in vivo

Lucia Mocz, Grade 9
Computer-Aided Identification of Cancer from Photomicrographs by Entropy Analysis

Maryam Mohammed, Grade 10
CPLD Prevention in Cystic Fibrosis: Reduction of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilm and Virulence by Punica granatum

Yahya Mohammed, Grade 12
Reactive Oxygen Species Accumulation During Embryogenesis Significantly Modulates Plant Fertility: Role of ROS Scavenger Genes in Enhancing Crop Yield

Elizabeth Monier, Grade 11
The Effects of Gene Suppression and Exposure to MPTP on Dopamine Neurons of C. elegans as a Model for Parkinson's Disease

Sarah Mousa, Grade 12
Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Nicotine's Pro-Angiogenesis Activity: Potential Impact on Different Disease Processes

Emily Munday, Grade 12
Mollusks in Decline: An Ecological Study of a Rare Freshwater Mussel (Margaritifera falcata)

Elena Ovaitt, Grade 11
The Effects of Unprocessed and Ozonated Leptospermum scoparium Honey on Caco2 (Colon Cancer) Cell Proliferation, in vitro
See "Honey, Ozone, and Cancer Cells."

Kels Phelps, Grade 12
A Novel Medicinal Metabolite from Extremophilic Trichoderma virens Found in the Silver Bow Creek System
See "Nature's Medicines."

Sabrina Prabakaran, Grade 9
Treatment of Age-Related Macular Degeneration: Year Two. Effect of Intraocular Steroid on Choroidal Neovasculature and Vitreal Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Level

Jarrett Remsberg, Grade 11
Removal of Estrogenic Compounds in Dairy Waste Lagoons by Ferrate(VI): Oxidation/Coagulation

Sasha Rohret, Grade 10
Phaseolus lunatus Growth Patterns in a Simulated Mars Environment: Year Three
See "Lima Beans on Mars."

Michael Rutenberg-Schoenberg, Grade 11
Possible Radioprotective Effects of n-Acetylcysteine in LX-1 Small Cell Lung Carcinoma Cells

Jared Steed, Grade 12
A Correlation Study of Buoyant and In-Air Weighing Techniques for Coral Fragments

Joseph Stunzi, Grade 10
Inhibiting Clostridium perfringens in Poultry via Extract Usage

Neela Thangada, Grade 9
The Effects of Various Plant Growth Media on Synthetic Seed Growth through Cloning and Shoot Encapsulation of Saintpaulia ionantha

Nilesh Tripuraneni, Grade 9
A Novel Chlorophyll-based Nanocrystalline Photoelectrochemical Cell: A Promising Approach to Hydrogen Production via the Light-driven Redox of Seawater

Sheel Tyle, Grade 9
The Impact of Muller Cell Reactivity During Retinal Degeneration

Kelydra Welcker, Grade 11
Quantification, Removal, and Recovery of APFO from Contaminated Drinking Water with a Concomitant Endocrinological and Epidemiological Assessment
See "Pollution Detective."

Kyle Yawn, Grade 10
In Search of a Natural Treatment for Puccinia hemerocallidis, Phase III

Information about the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair is available at http://www.intelisef2006.org/ and http://www.sciserv.org/isef/.

Information about DCYSC is available at http://www.sciserv.org/dcysc/ and http://school.discovery.com/sciencefaircentral/dysc/.

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