Wow, and you are how old?

Yesterday I met one of the Intel Science Talent Search finalists during a visit to his school as part of the surprise prize patrol. Michael Loy from Oregon Episcopal School in Portland was among the 40 students who found out yesterday that they had made it into the final stage of this premier pre-college science competition. The excitement on his face was totally infectious.

Michael’s project has the potential to increase the useful life of concrete infrastructure by protecting steel rebar from corrosion. Considering that billions of dollars are spent every year on infrastructure maintenance, this research can have a huge impact! Michael’s work is to be published in two international journals and he is only 18 – how amazing is that! As I read through the entries submitted this year, I am just blown away by the complexity of the projects and the brilliance of these 16-18 yr olds. Safe to say that we will be hearing about these young students for a long time to come as they go on to solve some of the most challenging issues we are facing today.

Click here to read more about what these top students from our nation are working on. You can also find out more about the Intel Science Talent search and Intel’s other education programs at: http://www.intel.com/education