Science Club: Intel Science Talent Search 2009

Narendra Tallapragada of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology models an atomic thingy. (Tracy K. Clayton)

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by DCist Contributor Tracy K. Clayton

Forty young men and women chosen as Intel Science Talent Search finalists gathered in the Great Hall of the National Academy of Sciences to compete for more than $500,000 in awards and scholarships to support careers in science -- including one top prize, a $100,000 scholarship. Two area budding young scientists, both hailing from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology in Fairfax, Virginia, are among the finalists. Each finalist picks up at least $5,000 in scholarship money and an Intel-powered laptop.

Alexander Kim, 17, conducted morphological and genetic analyses of the giant American prawn. Kim, who has studied prawn since he was 13, examined the differences in genes and body structure among specimens in Venezuela and the Galapagos. He believes his research into the evolution of regional differences between species will improve our understanding of how species evolve and perhaps reverse the decline of the species. Co-captain of the debate team and captain of the National Ocean Sciences Bowl team, Kim has perfect SAT scores and hopes to study at Harvard or Yale.

Narendra Tallapragada, also 17, used a “bottom-up” atomic level approach to develop a complete theory for the bulk electrical properties of one type of crystalline solid. His approach produced a new model of dielectric behavior of alkali halide crystals; his method was faster and less expensive than conventional, high-cost quantum mechanics calculations, and his results were comparable. Tallapragada is president of the Model UN club and tutors socioeconomically disadvantaged students. He was also a semifinalist of the Jeopardy! Teen Tournament.

D.C. doesn't fare too badly in the STS competition -- so long as you consider the suburbs. Recent years have seen finalists from Rockville, Potomac, and Silver Spring in Maryland and from McLean and now Fairfax in NoVA. Since 1944, the District itself has sent just 17 students to STS semifinalist and finalist rounds, with a long lull from 1970 to 2000 during which no D.C. students were represented in the competition. Maybe D.C. kids are just really into Social Studies.

Three students from D.C. schools (Benjamin Banneker High School, School Without Walls, and Sidwell Friends School) have represented the city since 2000. Andrei Munteanu (BBHS) was a finalist in 2004. In the absence of a hometown science champion this year, DCist is rooting wildly for Kim and Tallapragada. Winners will be announced Tuesday night.