Young ladies win in science Tara Adiseshan, 14, of Charlottesville, Va.; Li Boynton, 17, of Houston; and Olivia Schwob, 16, of Boston were selected from 1,563 young scientists from 56 countries, regions and territories for their commitment to innovation and science. The three top winners of the pre-college Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF) were young ladies.	Nic Mokhoff Research Editor
Each teen received a $50,000 scholarship from the Intel Foundation. Tara Adiseshan identified and classified the evolutionary relationships between sweat bees and the nematodes (microscopic worms) that live inside them. She proved that if one species evolves, the other will follow. Li Boynton developed a biosensor from bioluminescent bacteria to detect the presence of contaminants in public water. Li's biosensor is cheaper and easier to use than current biosensors, and she hopes it can be used in developing countries to reduce water toxicity. Olivia Schwob isolated a gene that can be used to improve the intelligence of a worm. The results could help us better understand how humans learn and even prevent, treat and cure mental disabilities in the future. Finalists are selected annually from more than 550 International Science and Engineering Fair-affiliated fairs around the world. Their projects are then evaluated onsite by 900 judges from nearly every scientific discipline, each judge typically with a Ph.D. or the equivalent of 6 years of related professional experience in one of the scientific disciplines. A full list of 2009 finalists is available. It's cool to be a teen girl who enjoys science and engineering! Posted by Nic Mokhoff on May 16, 2009 01:24 PM in Consumer

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