Intel® 2008 Awards: Teen Winners Make Amazing Contributions To Their Fields!

1. Sana Raoof (left) contributed mathematics research that assists in solving classic biochemistry problems.

Raoof's research provided new insight into how a better understanding of mathematical knot theory could help resolve classic biochemical problems. Specifically, her work focused on the Alexander-Conway polynomial invariant for chord diagrams to help prove how to classify molecules on a structural basis.

Sana Raoof, 17, is from Muttontown, NY.

2. Yi-Han Su (center) identified a way to make methanol convert to hydrogen with greater efficiency.

Su was awarded for her efforts to identify a high-activity catalyst that could improve methanol reforming reactions in order to generate hydrogen more efficiently.

Yi-Han Su, 17, is from Chinese Tapei.

3. Natalie Sarange Omattage developed a biosensor to screen for contamination in foods.

Omattage developed a more efficient and less expensive way to screen for food additive contaminants, including those responsible for the recent deaths of many pets. By developing biosensors based on quartz crystal microbalance (QCM), Omattage's research provides a new way for ports and warehouses to more thoroughly screen for food additives and other contaminants that could be found in food imported into the United States.

Natalie Sarange Omattage, 17, is from Cleveland, MS

Wow! It's hard to believe that these women are still in high-school and I'm reporting the winners of the ISEF and not of the Nobel Prize!

Congratulations to Raoof, Su, and Omattage for your accomplishments and thank you for setting the bar high for teens who aspire to the ISEF. There were 500 other ISEF winners in grade school, middle school, and high school categories; congratulations to you all!

from press release