On Thursday, January 26, executives and guests of the Siemens Foundation visited the New York Stock Exchange to celebrate the Siemens Competition in Math, Science and Technology, a signature program of the Siemens Foundation.  The annual awards were presented on December 5, 2011 at The George Washington University.

To mark this occasion, Siemens Competition Grand Prize winners Angela Zhang and the team of Ziyuan Liu and Cassee Cain rang the NYSE Closing Bell with Tom McCausland, Chairman of the Board, Siemens Foundation; Jeniffer Harper-Taylor, President, Siemens Foundation; and Diane Tsukamaki, Director, National Recognition & Scholarship Programs, the College Board.

The day’s special guests included the teen winners of the 2011 Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology, America’s premier research competition for high school students.  The teens recently won $100,000 scholarships for creating a nanoparticle that is like a Swiss army knife of cancer treatment and utilizing new gaming technology to analyze human walking patterns.

As always, the event was a ton of fun (and educational) for all those involved. Please take a look at some of the pictures from Siemens Science Day below!

Dentsu Communications and the Siemens Foundation hosted a successful panel discussion on January 25th, 2012 in NYC on eliminating disparity and encouraging diversity in STEM. The event fostered an open forum to discuss and encourage innovative ideas. Most importantly, increasing underrepresented minority participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics which has become a national priority.

Some of the questions we set out to answer were:

Are we succeeding in bringing greater diversity to STEM fields?  What’s working?  What’s not?  And where do we go from here?

The panelists included:

• Paula S. Apsell, Senior Executive Producer, NOVA
• Jerib A. Carson, Academic Intervention Specialist and Science & Technology Teacher, Harlem Children’s Zone Promise Academy
• Ira Flatow, Host, Science Friday, NPR
• James Jorasch, Founder and CEO, Science House
• Thomas McCausland, Chairman of the Board, Siemens Foundation
• Irving Pressley McPhail, President and CEO, National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering
• Michelle M. Shearer, National Teacher of the Year
• Patricia Simmons, President, National Science Teachers Association

The moderator for the event was Carol Anne Riddell, host and reporter of Science & U, CUNY-TV and the special guests included the winners of the 2011-12 Siemens Competition – Angela Zhang, Cassee Cain and Ziyuan Liu.

We would like to thank all the participants who attended the event and made it so successful. We will be posting pictures and video to our site in the next upcoming weeks so keep a look out for all the multimedia at www.dentsucommunications.com

Dentsu Communications would like to wish everyone a happy, healthy holiday and New Year. Enjoy the time with your family and friends and we’ll see catch you next year!

Dentsu Communications would like to thank the Siemens Foundation, the universities, (Cal Tech, Georgia Tech, University of Texas-Austin, MIT, Carnegie Mellon, Notre Dame and George Washington) judges, parents, mentors, teachers and most importantly, the students. This year’s Competition was full of excitement and awe-inspiring projects that highlight the future of our country’s best and brightest. Congratulations to all those who participated this year, it was truly an honor working with everyone.

PHOTO: Dentsu’s Anjali Saxena, Jim Miller and Anya Grottel-Brown at the National Finals in DC.

The year’s highest science honor for high school students was awarded today to biochemistry research on cancer stem cells and an innovative use of gaming technology in the area of leg injuries and prosthetics in the 2011 Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology, America’s premier science research competition for high school students.

Administered by the College Board, the Siemens Competition is a signature program of the Siemens Foundation, which supports science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education.  The thirteenth annual awards were presented this morning at The George Washington University, host of the 2011 Siemens Competition National Finals.

Angela Zhang, a senior at Monta Vista High School in Cupertino, California, won the $100,000 Grand Prize in the Individual category for using nanotechnology to eradicate cancer stem cells.  Ziyuan Liu and Cassee Cain, seniors at Oak Ridge High School in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, will share the $100,000 Grand Prize in the Team category for using new gaming technology to analyze human walking patterns, work that could ultimately be used in prosthesis design for amputees.

“It is a remarkable day for American innovation when our high school students do science research at this level,” said Jeniffer Harper-Taylor, president of the Siemens Foundation.  “I hope other students will follow their example and embrace STEM subjects with such vigor.  These young innovators are poised to drive the next generation of advances in science and technology.”

Six individuals and six teams competed at the National Finals this weekend after winning one of six regional competitions in November.  They presented their research to a panel of judges comprised of nationally renowned scientists and mathematicians headed by lead judge Michael W. Plesniak, Ph.D., Professor and Chair, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The George Washington University.  Today’s $100,000 winners will ring The Closing Bell™ at the New York Stock Exchange on January 26.

Congratulations to all of those who participated in the Siemens Competition this year. Your work and dedication was truly remarkable and an inspiration to us all.

The path to science glory leads to Washington, DC, the first weekend in December for 20 students contending for the year’s top teen science prize.  These young innovators will compete for the highest science honor awarded to American high school students when the National Finals of the prestigious Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology come to the George Washington University.

20 young innovators from 11 states – California, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Tennessee and Texas – will present their awe-inspiring research to expert judges at the nation’s premier science research competition for high school students.   $500,000 in scholarships is at stake, including two top prizes of $100,000. This year’s students have:

• Customized software using the Kinect for Xbox 360 that could help veteran amputees improve how they walk.
• Created a microscopic particle that is like a Swiss army knife of cancer treatment.
• Developed a system that could allow doctors to use smartphones to diagnose infants at risk of a deadly gastrointestinal disease.
• Conducted research that could lead to new treatments for lung cancer, childhood liver failure and brain disorders including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.
• Made a fundamental discovery on how galaxies evolve.

WHERE:     

• THE GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY:  Marvin Center
• 800 21st St., Washington, D.C. 
• Foggy Bottom-GWU Metro (Orange and Blue lines)

WHEN:  

• Fri 12/2  12:45–2:00pm Students participate in a Siemens Science Day at Hyattsville Elementary,  Hyattsville, MD
• Sat 12/3  8:30am–1:45pm Student project exhibition set up (Continental Ballroom, 3rd flr) + 5:00pm–6:30pm Public viewing of project exhibition (Continental Ballroom, 3rd flr)
• Sun 12/4  8:00am–3:45pm Students present oral presentations to the judges (Betts Theatre)
• Mon 12/5  9:30am WINNERS ANNOUNCED (Betts Theatre)

Dentsu Communications would like to wish everyone a happy and healthy Thanksgiving. Enjoy the great food and the quality time with your family and friends!

This weekend the academic stars head to the last Regional Finals round at the Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and the University of Notre Dame in South Bend. The remaining individuals and teams competing look to finish strong before the National Finals at  The George Washington University in Washington, DC, December 1–5, 2011, where $500,000 in scholarships will be awarded, including two top prizes of $100,000.

Congratulations to all those who participated last weekend at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and University of Texas-Austin, especially the winning individuals and teams.

Please see below for more information from last weekend’s winners.

MIT

The Winning Individual

John Solder, a senior at Staples High School in Westport, Connecticut, won the individual category and a $3,000 college scholarship for research he hopes will help the millions who suffer from injuries or disorders of the prefrontal regions of the brain, which include Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases.

His project, entitled Optogenetic Interrogation of Prefrontal Cortex Dopamine D1 Receptor-Containing Neurons as a Technique to Restore Timing: A Novel Approach to Treat Prefrontal Disorders, used a new technology called optogenetics, in which light of specific wavelengths is administered to a specific part of the brain to turn on or off genetically-modified cells.

“Mr. Solder has shown great scientific maturity and daring in probing the functioning of the prefrontal cortex – a key part of the brain,” said competition judge Dr. Mary-Lou Pardue, Boris Magasanik Professor of Biology at MIT.  “Using cutting-edge tools, he has shown the contribution of dopamine-related neurons in controlling the brain’s ability to estimate time, which many aspects of human behavior rely on.  His experiments were elegantly designed and well controlled.  The implications of his work are broad and relate to the many neurological conditions that arise from disorders of the prefrontal cortex.”

John Solder was a first place team winner at the FIRST Robotics Tech Challenge World Championship.  A classical and jazz bassist, he has performed at Carnegie Hall and Tanglewood.  He helped develop easy-to-use educational software for children as part of the One Laptop Per Child program and hopes to dedicate his career to researching innovative solutions for global challenges such as disease, pollution and hunger. His mentors on the project were Dr. Benjamin Land and Dr. Ralph DiLeone, Yale University.

The Winning Team

Julia Crowley-Farenga and Patrick Loftus, seniors at Evanston Township High School in Evanston, Illinois, won the team category and will share a $6,000 scholarship for their astronomy project entitled, Morphological Classification of Post-Starburst Galaxies, in which the team examined and classified 2,811 galaxies.

“Ms. Crowley-Farenga and Mr. Loftus have conducted a comprehensive visual classification of ‘post-starburst’ galaxies in order to explain how galaxies progress from star-forming to non-star-forming states,” said competition judge Dr. Leigh Royden, chair of the Program in Geology and Geochemistry at MIT.  “Their results indicate that large-mass and small-mass galaxies undergo this transition in different ways.  Small-mass galaxies expel matter by supernova activity, while large-mass galaxies undergo mergers that disrupt the distribution of matter within the galaxies.  These students have made a fundamental contribution to understanding the evolution of galaxies.  Their results suggest a link between the end of star formation in large galaxies and the growth of black holes at the center of these galaxies.”

From a young age, Julia Crowley-Farenga would search for shooting stars and dreamed of becoming an astronaut traveling across the universe.  She still hopes to be an astronaut or work for NASA.  She plans to major in engineering, materials science or nanotechnology.  A member of the varsity track and field team, she enjoys gardening and is an enthusiastic Chicago sports fan.

Patrick Loftus is a member of the Midwest Young Artists Symphony Orchestra and percussion ensemble, as well as a member of his school’s gymnastics team.  He plans to major in computer science, mathematics or physics and hopes to become a professor “with room for travel and research.”  The team’s mentor on the project was Dr. Laura Trouille, Northwestern University.

University of Texas-Austin

The Winning Individual

Joshua Kubiak, a senior at Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts, in Natchitoches, Louisiana won the individual category and a $3,000 college scholarship for his project, Asymmetric Conjugate Addition of Ortho-Quinone Methides as a Pathway to Communesin Analogs, which lays the groundwork for developing new techniques in organic synthesis.

“Joshua’s work on developing an assembly of complex molecules showed a truly impressive knowledge of organic chemistry,” said competition judge Dr. Dionicio R. Siegel, Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, UT. “He developed a new technique for forming specific three-dimensional molecular architectures, otherwise known as a chirality.  The foundation of his research has potential applications in the pharmaceutical industry.”

Joshua is the first student from his school to be named a National Finalist in the Siemens Competition. President of his school’s math club, Joshua is also a National Merit semifinalist, winner of an Excellence in Chemistry Award and participant in the US Chemistry Olympiad.   When Joshua is not pursuing a future career in drug design and development, he participates in his school’s science club and tutors in his spare time.  His mentor on the project is Dr. Scott E. Schaus, Boston University.

The Winning Team

Andrew Xu, a senior at Lowell High School in San Francisco, California, Kevin Chang, junior at Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science in Denton, Texas, and Kevin Tian, a senior at Westwood High School in Austin, Texas won the team category and will share a $6,000 scholarship for their project, Determining the Existence of Graceful Valuations of Various Families of Graphs.

“The students showed remarkable insight into a highly complex area of graph theory,” said competition judge Dr. Daniel Freeman, R.H. Big Fellow, Department of Mathematics, UT. “They produced three new algorithms that show a new way of gracefully labeling graphs and in particular, gave an important contribution towards the Graceful Tree Conjecture, one of the most famous unsolved problems in graph labeling. Current and future mathematicians can use their algorithms to get one step closer to solving this fascinating problem.”

Andrew Xu is the first student from his school to be named a National Finalist in the Siemens Competition.  He is a winner of the Dong Lieu Science Prize and founder and president of ScienceDays, a program that brings hands-on science experiments to elementary schools.  Andrew enjoys basketball, swimming and playing the piano.  He hopes to become a research mathematician.

Kevin Cheng is a three-time Texas ARML Gold Team Member and has qualified multiple times for the U.S. Math and Junior Math Olympiads.  He organized a MathStar club for elementary and middle school kids in his community and is president of the math club.  He plans to major in math and business, with hopes of pursuing a career in one of those fields.

Kevin Tian was a Regional Finalist in the 2010-11 Siemens Competition.  An accomplished musician, he is a viola player in his school orchestra and also plays the violin, piano, guitar, ukulele and harmonica.  He is vice president of the IB Student Organization, which promotes community service, and enjoys playing basketball, and plans to major in economics. The team’s mentor is Dr. Edward Early, St. Edward’s University.

This weekend the high schoolers head to the Regional Finals at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge and the University of Texas in Austin. Coming from all states across the country, they look to follow with an equally impressive round as last weekend at Cal Tech and Georgia Tech.

Congratulations to all those who participated last weekend, especially the winning individuals and teams. Please see below for more information from last weekend’s regionals.

Cal Tech

The Winning Individual

Angela Zhang, a senior at Monta Vista High School in Cupertino, California, won the individual category and a $3,000 college scholarship for her biochemistry project, Design of Image-guided, Photo-thermal Controlled Drug Releasing Multifunctional Nanosystem for the Treatment of Cancer Stem Cells.

In her project, Angela aimed to design a targeted, gold and iron oxide-based nanoparticle with a potential to eradicate cancer stem cells through a controlled delivery of the drug salinomycin to the site of the tumor.  The multifunctional nanoparticle combines therapy and imaging into a single platform, with the gold and iron-oxide components allowing for both MRI and Photoacoustic imaging.

“Angela created a microscopic particle that is like a Swiss army knife of cancer treatment,” said competition judge Julius Su, PhD, Chemistry Researcher, California Institute of Technology.  “It seeks out cancer cells, shows us where they are, and then destroys them.  Angela showed great initiative in bringing together a wide array of technologies to solve a vitally important health problem.  It would be a remarkable accomplishment for a scientist of any age and is certainly exceptional for a high school student.”

Angela is interested in nanomedicine and molecular imaging because they allow her to transform her interests in physics, chemistry and biology into solutions for current health problems.  She won the Intel International Science & Engineering Fair (ISEF) 2011 Grand Award and the ISEF 2010 Grand Award (both for medicine and health science).  Angela plays golf and the piano and would like to major in chemical or biomedical engineering or physics.  She is a 2010 Siemens Competition Regional Finalist who put in 1,000 hours on her current project.  Angela hopes to become a research professor.  Her mentor was Dr. Zhen Cheng of Stanford University.

The Winning Team

Jeffrey Ling, a junior at Palo Alto Senior High School in Palo Alto, California, and Helen Jiang, a junior at Henry M. Gunn High School, won the team category and will share a $6,000 scholarship for their project, Novel Diagnostic and Prognostic Utilities Integrating Clinical and Molecular Findings to Manage Necrotizing Enterocolitis in Neonatal Care.

Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC) is the most common and serious gastrointestinal disease and a leading cause of overall morbidity and mortality in premature infants.  In their project, the team set out to develop a data-driven system to help identify NEC infants most likely to progress to severe disease.  The team’s approach integrates demographic, clinical and molecular-based classifiers in an effort to improve neonatal care.

“Jeffrey and Helen used mass spectrometry in combination with clinical data, a novel approach which would give scientists and doctors the ability to predict the progression of the disease so they can optimize treatment,” said competition judge Brian Williams, PhD, Staff Scientist, California Institute of Technology. “The data analysis, the team’s main contribution, was done at an exceptionally high level.  A unique aspect of the work is that Jeffrey and Helen are planning to make the diagnostics available to physicians via smartphones.”

Jeffrey Ling is captain of a Science Olympiad team and a 2011 USA junior Math Olympiad winner. He is active in community service, tutoring and helping middle school students with math and science.  Jeffrey plays the piano and enjoys playing Frisbee and badminton.  He hopes to become an inventor.

When Helen Jiang’s younger sister was five years old, she broke her arm and had to go to the hospital. While staying there with her sister, Helen was inspired to find ways to help children born with diseases that forced them to stay in hospitals for long periods of time.  Helen is co-president of S.A.G.E Club (business club), where students create and promote their own businesses.  She plays volleyball, soccer and ultimate Frisbee and loves to sing and write lyrics.  Her dream job is to become a university professor.   The team’s mentor was Dr. Karl Sylvester.

Georgia Tech

The Winning Individual

Sitan (Stan) Chen, a senior at Northview High School in Duluth, Georgia, won the individual category and a $3,000 college scholarship for his mathematics project, On the Rank Number of Grid Graphs, which may result in a new method of studying graphs.

“Mr. Chen presented a graduate level type of study that addresses a prominent topic in mathematics today,” said judge, Dr. Eva K. Lee, Professor, Industrial and Systems Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology. “His results offer important applications of parallel algorithm design which can advance how computers multi-task data across platforms. Mr. Chen’s research impacts all electronics including computers, mobile phones, and digital circuit appliances.”

A national finalist in the 2010 Siemens Competition, Stan is also an accomplished musician, having been invited to Carnegie Hall six times to perform on the piano and violin.  Stan is on his school fencing team and organizes benefit concerts to raise funds for disaster relief.  He hopes to become a university professor.  His mentor on the project was Jesse Geneson, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The Winning Team

Ziyuan Liu and Cassee Cain, seniors at Oak Ridge High School in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, won the team category and will share a $6,000 scholarship for their bioengineering project, Using Kinect for Xbox 360 and Computer Vision to Analyze Human Gait, which may aid the development of an accurate, affordable device to detect abnormal gait patterns.

“Mr. Liu and Ms. Cain explored a relatively new area of gait analysis by co-opting an existing commercial device, the Kinect for Xbox 360, and creating custom software,” said Dr. Young-Hui Chang, Associate Professor, Applied Physiology, Georgia Institute of Technology. “In the rapidly developing field of gait analysis in prosthetics and orthotics, their project opens avenues to bring personalized rehabilitation to the home. This could potentially reduce medical costs, allowing clinicians to monitor a patient’s progress from a remote site.”

Born in Qujing, Yunnan, China, Ziyuan dreams of becoming the head of a software company or a banking firm. He is the founder of a committee to educate others in his school and community about solar energy.  A member of the International Relations Club and French National Honor Society, he enjoys playing the alto saxophone and swimming.

Cassee is the drum major of her high school marching band and the costume designer of the drama club.  She has always been interested in health care and dreams of becoming an oncologist. A National Honor Society National Achiever, Cassee plans to major in chemical engineering. The team’s mentors on the project were Dr. John K. Mueller and Dr. Boyd McCutchen Evans III, Oak Ridge National Laboratory.