Forty young, limber brains have made it to the final phase of the nation’s oldest science competition for high school seniors, the Intel Science Talent Search. In March, the finalists will travel to Washington, D.C., where they will spend a week presenting their original research to national leaders, top scientists and the public. Intel and Society for Science & the Public will announce the top award winner, who will take home $100,000, on March 15 during a black-tie gala held at the National Building Museum. Finalists will vie for a total of $630,000 in awards.
This year’s competitors hail from 15 states. For the first time in the history of the event, more of them come from California than New York.
Finalists’ research topics cover a wide range of disciplines. This year’s student projects include a new kind of highly efficient solar cell, a therapy that relies on ultraviolet light to fight autoimmune disease, a study of how air pollution can cause lung inflammation and robots that incorporate emotion to smooth interactions with humans.