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UNT TAMS students named regional finalists, semifinalists in Siemens science competition
DENTON (UNT), Texas -- Two Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science students were named regional finalists and eight were named semifinalists in the 2006 Siemens Westinghouse Competition in Math, Science & Technology. The academy had more semifinalists than any other school in Texas and the second largest number of semifinalists of any school in the nation, and tied with Plano West Senior High School for having the largest number of regional finalists from a Texas school. The Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science is a two-year residential program at the University of North Texas that allows talented students to complete their freshman and sophomore years of college while earning the equivalent of high school diplomas. Students enroll in the academy following their sophomore year in high school, live in a UNT residence hall and attend UNT classes with college students. After two years, they enroll at UNT or another university to finish their bachelor's degrees. The Siemens Westinghouse Competition was established in 1999 and is funded by the Siemens Foundation. The competition recognizes high school research in mathematics and science. Students may submit individual projects or projects conducted with one or two other students. Up to 300 students and student teams are selected as semifinalists in October. The 10 TAMS students were among 45 Texas students selected as semifinalists this year. A week after the semifinalists are announced, up to 30 individual students and 30 student teams are selected as regional finalists. Regional finalists present a poster display of their research and give a 12-minute presentation to a panel of judges at one of six regional competitions on university campuses. Yieu Chyan of Denton and Amelia Lin of Plano, both second-year TAMS students, were among 13 Texas students chosen as regional finalists after first being selected as semifinalists Oct. 20. They will present their research projects at the Southwestern Region Competition, which will be held Nov. 10-11 at the University of Texas at Austin. Chyan worked in the laboratory of Dr. Rigoberto Advincula, associate professor of chemistry at the University of Houston, this past summer for his research project. He studied the conditions for the formation of thin films for use in organic photoelectric devices, which directly convert absorbed photons into electrical power. Chyan investigated if the films improve the efficiency of devices based on organic materials, which are cheaper than silicon-based materials but less efficient. Lin worked in the laboratory of Dr. Zhibing Hu, UNT professor of physics, this past summer for her research project. She tested the properties of carbon nanotubes, or hollow cylinders of carbon atoms that are only a few nanometers in diameter and may be used in the future for drug delivery into individual human cells, targeted cancer treatment and other applications in the human body. A nanometer is one billionth of a meter. Lin is continuing the research this semester. Dr. Richard Sinclair, TAMS dean, said that having 10 semifinalists in this year's Siemens competition, after having nine semifinalists in last year's competition, and having two regional finalists for the second year in a row "is evidence of the continuing excellence of the academy students and their scientific mentors." One individual regional finalist and one team regional finalist will be selected from the Southwestern Region Competition and the other five regional competitions to compete in the Siemens Westinghouse Competition's National Finals in December. Each student or team selected for the finals receive silver medals and scholarships, with individuals receiving $2,000 and teams receiving $6,000 to be divided equally among team members. Second-place winners of the regional competitions receive $1,000 scholarships and bronze medals. The top individual and top team in the National Finals each receive $100,000 scholarships. Runners-up receive scholarships ranging from $10,000 to $50,000. In addition to Chyan and Lin, the other TAMS students named semifinalists in this year's competition were: - Bernard Huang, second-year student from Plano. Huang worked in UNT's Laboratory of Advanced Polymers and Optimized Materials with Dr. Witold Brostow, UNT Regents Professor of materials science and engineering. He studied the thermal properties and wear resistance of a resin blended with a low density polyethylene.
- Dennis Hu, second-year student from Plano. Hu worked in the laboratory of Dr. Steven R. Goodman, professor of molecular and cell biology at the University of Texas at Dallas. He researched the modifications that hydroxyurea, a drug proven to reduce symptoms in sickle cell patients, induces on sickle cell membrane proteins at different incubation times and dosages.
- Jeffrey Lin, second-year student from Dallas. Lin researched cancer cells in the laboratory of Dr. Sergio Huerta, assistant professor of surgery at University of Texas Southwestern Medical School. Lin examined the genetic changes that occur in cancer cells that give them the ability to spread through the body.
- Monica Lu, second-year student from Plano. Lu worked at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Middle School through the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Research Science Institute. Working in the Department of Psychiatry under Dr. Dara Manoach, she studied what happens in the brain during antisaccade, or suppression of automatic eye movement responses.
- David Ouyang, second-year student from Houston. Ouyang worked with Dr. Teresa Golden, UNT associate professor of chemistry, on detecting and monitoring gas impurities using oxide films.
- Alisha Seam, second-year student from San Antonio. Seam, who was named a semifinalist and regional finalist in the Siemens Westinghouse competition in 2005, worked in UNT's Laboratory of Advanced Polymers and Optimized
Materials under Dr. Witold Brostow, professor of materials science. She investigated a previously untested method of developing self-lubricating and wear-resistant polymer-based materials by blending a polymer with small proportions of a metallic additive. The lightweight polymeric materials could replace the heavier metals in gears, ball bearings, chains and other components of certain machines. - Ananth Ram and Arun Venkatraman, both first-year students from Plano. The two worked with Dr. Ram Laks Narain, an engineer and Ram's father. They created an algorithm for controlling the tinting of electrochromic windows -- windows that tint when electrical voltage is applied to them. Ram and Venkatraman achieved a 78 percent reduction in spending on costs on cooling for a building with electrochromic windows with the control methodology that they developed.
UNT News Service Phone Number: (940) 565-2108
Contact: Nancy Kolsti (940) 565-3509
Email: nkolsti@unt.edu
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