Intel Science Talent Search
Encyclopedia
Research
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
-based science competition
Science fair
A science fair is generally a competition where contestants present their science project results in the form of a report, display board, and models that they have created. Science fairs allow students in grade schools and high schools to compete in science and/or technology activities...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
for high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
senior
Senior
Senior may refer to:* Senior citizen, a common polite designation for an elderly person in both UK and US English* Senior , a 2010 album by Röyksopp* Senior , a student in the final year of high school, college or university...
s. It has been referred to as "the nation's oldest and most prestigious" science competition. In his speech at the dinner honoring the 1991 Winners, President George H. W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
called the competition the "Super Bowl of science."
History
The Society for Science & the PublicSociety for Science & the Public
Society for Science & the Public , formerly known as Science Service, is a 5013 non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of science, through its science education programs and publications, including the weekly Science News magazine.Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the organization...
began the competition in 1942 with Westinghouse Electric Corporation
Westinghouse Electric (1886)
Westinghouse Electric was an American manufacturing company. It was founded in 1886 as Westinghouse Electric Company and later renamed Westinghouse Electric Corporation by George Westinghouse. The company purchased CBS in 1995 and became CBS Corporation in 1997...
; for many years, the competition was known as the Westinghouse Science Talent Search. In 1998, Intel became the sponsor after it outbid Siemens
Siemens
Siemens may refer toSiemens, a German family name carried by generations of telecommunications industrialists, including:* Werner von Siemens , inventor, founder of Siemens AG...
, which had acquired Westinghouse's power generation unit; Siemens subsequently sponsored its own competition
Siemens Westinghouse Competition
The Siemens Competition is a science competition funded by the Siemens Foundation and administered by the College Board.- Eligibility requirements :The Siemens Competition is open to high school students who are citizens or permanent residents of the US...
. Over the years, 21,000 Finalists and Semifinalists have received $13.8 million in awards through the program.
| Level | Award |
|---|---|
| First place | $100,000 |
| Second place | $75,000 |
| Third place | $50,000 |
| Fourth place | $40,000 |
| Fifth place | $30,000 |
| Sixth place | $25,000 |
| Seventh place | $25,000 |
| Eighth place | $20,000 |
| Ninth place | $20,000 |
| Tenth place | $20,000 |
| 30 finalists | $7,500 |
Entrants to the competition conduct original research—sometimes at home and sometimes by "working with leading research teams at universities, hospitals and private laboratories." The selection process is highly competitive, and besides the research paper, letters of recommendation, essays, test scores, extracurricular activities, and high school transcripts may be factored in the selection of finalists and winners.
Each year, approximately 1,700 papers are submitted. The top 300 applicants are announced in mid-January with each Semifinalist and their school receiving $1,000. In late January, the 40 Finalists (the award winners) are informed. In March, the Finalists are flown to Washington, D.C. where they are interviewed for the top ten spots, which have awards ranging from $20,000 to $100,000 for the first prize winner. The judges have included Glenn T. Seaborg
Glenn T. Seaborg
Glenn Theodore Seaborg was an American scientist who won the 1951 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for "discoveries in the chemistry of the transuranium elements", contributed to the discovery and isolation of ten elements, and developed the actinide concept, which led to the current arrangement of the...
(Nobel Laureate with Edwin M. McMillan in Chemistry, 1951) and Joseph Hooton Taylor, Jr.
Joseph Hooton Taylor, Jr.
Joseph Hooton Taylor, Jr. is an American astrophysicist and Nobel Prize in Physics laureate for his discovery with Russell Alan Hulse of a "new type of pulsar, a discovery that has opened up new possibilities for the study of gravitation."...
(Nobel Laureate in Physics, 1993). The remaining 30 Finalists also receive $7,500 awards.
Many Finalists and winners have gone on to receive higher honors in mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, science, engineering, and technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
. Seven went on to receive Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
s, two earned the Fields Medal
Fields Medal
The Fields Medal, officially known as International Medal for Outstanding Discoveries in Mathematics, is a prize awarded to two, three, or four mathematicians not over 40 years of age at each International Congress of the International Mathematical Union , a meeting that takes place every four...
, three have been awarded the National Medal of Science
National Medal of Science
The National Medal of Science is an honor bestowed by the President of the United States to individuals in science and engineering who have made important contributions to the advancement of knowledge in the fields of behavioral and social sciences, biology, chemistry, engineering, mathematics and...
, eleven received MacArthur Fellowships
MacArthur Foundation
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is one of the largest private foundations in the United States. Based in Chicago but supporting non-profit organizations that work in 60 countries, MacArthur has awarded more than US$4 billion since its inception in 1978...
; 56 have been named Sloan Research Fellows
Sloan Fellowship
The Sloan Research Fellowships are awarded annually by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation since 1955 to "provide support and recognition to early-career scientists and scholars". This is distinct from the Sloan Fellows in business....
; 30 have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
; and five have been elected to the National Academy of Engineering
National Academy of Engineering
The National Academy of Engineering is a government-created non-profit institution in the United States, that was founded in 1964 under the same congressional act that led to the founding of the National Academy of Sciences...
.
Schools of Winners
Across the United States, 12 secondary schools have produced 20 or more semi-finalists over the years 2002-2010. 11 of the schools are public schools, and 7 out of the 11 (64%) are located in the greater New York area.| School | Location | Semi-finalists | Finalists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery Blair High School Montgomery Blair High School Montgomery Blair High School is a public high school located in unincorporated Silver Spring in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States... |
Silver Spring, MD | 108 | 16 |
| Stuyvesant High School Stuyvesant High School Stuyvesant High School , commonly referred to as Stuy , is a New York City public high school that specializes in mathematics and science. The school opened in 1904 on Manhattan's East Side and moved to a new building in Battery Park City in 1992. Stuyvesant is noted for its strong academic... |
New York, NY | 103 | 13 |
| Ward Melville High School Ward Melville High School Ward Melville High School is a public high school in the Three Village Central School District of Suffolk County, New York on Long Island, serving grades ten through twelve. It is fed by the two junior high schools in the district: Paul J... |
East Setauket, NY | 85 | 11 |
| Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology is a Virginia state-chartered magnet school located within Fairfax County, Virginia, United States... |
Alexandria, VA | 75 | 7 |
| Bronx High School of Science Bronx High School of Science The Bronx High School of Science is a specialized New York City public high school often considered the premier science magnet school in the United States. Founded in 1938, it is now located in the Bedford Park section of the Bronx... |
Bronx, NY | 59 | 6 |
| Paul D. Schreiber High School | Port Washington, NY | 50 | 3 |
| Byram Hills High School Byram Hills High School Byram Hills High School is a four-year co-educational public secondary school located in Armonk, New York. Its principal is Mr. Chris Borsari and its vice principals are Chris Walsh and Ken Cotrone. It is the only secondary school within the Byram Hills Central School District and serves... |
Armonk, NY | 46 | 10 |
| Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science The Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science is a two-year residential early college entrance program serving approximately 380 Texans at the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas... |
Denton, TX | 43 | 7 |
| Great Neck North High School Great Neck North High School John L. Miller Great Neck North High School or simply "North High," or "North," is a public high school, including grades 9 through 12, in the village of Great Neck, New York, operated by the Great Neck School District... |
Great Neck, NY | 31 | 3 |
| Illinois Math and Science Academy | Aurora, IL | 29 | 8 |
| Great Neck South High School Great Neck South High School William A. Shine Great Neck South High School is an American top public four-year high school. It is located in Lake Success, serving students in grades 9 through 12. However, GNSHS is officially listed in Great Neck... |
Great Neck, NY | 24 | 2 |
| The Harker School The Harker School The Harker School is a private, co-educational, non-profit college preparatory school in San Jose, California, United States. Founded in 1893 as Manzanita Hall by Frank Cramer, Harker now has three campuses: Bucknall, Blackford, and Saratoga, named for the streets on which they lie. Bucknall is... |
San Jose, CA | 24 | 4 |
| Midwood High School Midwood High School Midwood High School, at Brooklyn College, is a public, urban, co-ed high school located on Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn, New York City.Midwood High School was for many years the recipient of multiple accolades because of its competitive educational programs and for the achievements of its students... |
Brooklyn, NY | 23 | 3 |
List of Prominent Scientists who were Past Finalists / Top-10 Winners
| Scientist | Year | Placed | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ben Mottelson | 1944 | Finalist | Lyons Township High School |
| Leon Cooper Leon Cooper Leon N Cooper is an American physicist and Nobel Prize laureate, who with John Bardeen and John Robert Schrieffer, developed the BCS theory of superconductivity... |
1947 | Finalist | Bronx High School of Science |
| Walter Gilbert Walter Gilbert Walter Gilbert is an American physicist, biochemist, molecular biology pioneer, and Nobel laureate.-Biography:Gilbert was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on March 21, 1932... |
1949 | Finalist | Sidwell Friends High School |
| Sheldon Glashow | 1950 | Finalist | Bronx High School of Science |
| David Mumford David Mumford David Bryant Mumford is an American mathematician known for distinguished work in algebraic geometry, and then for research into vision and pattern theory. He won the Fields Medal and was a MacArthur Fellow. In 2010 he was awarded the National Medal of Science... |
1953 | Finalist | Phillips Exeter Academy |
| Roald Hoffmann Roald Hoffmann Roald Hoffmann is an American theoretical chemist who won the 1981 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. He currently teaches at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.-Escape from the Holocaust:... |
1955 | Finalist | Stuyvesant High School |
| Gary A. Wegner Gary A. Wegner Gary Alan Wegner is an American astronomer, the endowed Leede '49 Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Dartmouth College, and recipient of the Alexander Von Humboldt Prize. Wegner was also a member of a famous group of seven astronomers called the Seven Samurai who, in the 1980s, discovered the... |
1963 | Finalist | Bothell High School |
| Frank Wilczek Frank Wilczek Frank Anthony Wilczek is a theoretical physicist from the United States and a Nobel laureate. He is currently the Herman Feshbach Professor of Physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology .... |
1967 | Finalist | Martin Van Buren High School |
| Eric Lander Eric Lander Eric Steven Lander is a Professor of Biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology , a member of the Whitehead Institute, and director of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard who has devoted his career toward realizing the promise of the human genome for medicine. He is co-chair of U.S... |
1974 | 1st Place | Stuyvesant High School |
| Paul Zeitz Paul Zeitz Note: The founder and former Executive Director of the Global AIDS Alliance is also named Paul Zeitz. However, this is not the same person.Paul Zeitz is a Professor of Mathematics at the University of San Francisco... |
1975 | 1st Place | Stuyvesant High School |
| Lisa Randall Lisa Randall Lisa Randall is an American theoretical physicist and a leading expert on particle physics and cosmology. She works on several of the competing models of string theory in the quest to explain the fabric of the universe. Her most well known contribution to the field is the Randall-Sundrum model,... |
1980 | 1st Place | Stuyvesant High School |
| Brian Greene Brian Greene Brian Greene is an American theoretical physicist and string theorist. He has been a professor at Columbia University since 1996. Greene has worked on mirror symmetry, relating two different Calabi-Yau manifolds... |
1980 | Finalist | Stuyvesant High School |