57th Intel International Science and Engineering Fair

May 7-12, 2006
Indianapolis, Indiana

by Patricia E. McQueeney

The 57th Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) was held May 7-12 in Indianapolis, Indiana. ISEF is a competition that takes place each May in a different city and attracts top high school students from around the world. Science Service administers and Intel Corporation sponsors ISEF each year.

The winners, including the world’s brightest high school science and engineering students, were awarded more than $3 million in scholarships and prizes. Over 1400 students participated in this year’s ISEF that included students from the United States and 41 countries. A number of the students have patents pending related to their projects.

Several awards are presented at ISEF. The “Grand Awards” are presented in various scientific categories and include scholarships, tuition grants, and scientific field trips. In addition to the “Grand Awards,” “Special Awards” are presented by numerous sponsoring organizations, including the AIPLA. Special Awards include scholarships, summer internships, book and equipment grants, scientific field trips, certificates, and cash awards.

Judging on behalf of the AIPLA this year were David Alban from Pooley & Oliver, Palo Alto, California, and Patricia McQueeney from Brinkley, McNerney, Morgan, Solomon & Tatum LLP, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. This year’s Special Awards were presented Thursday, May 11, 2006 by lead judges representing the sponsoring organization. David Alban presented the AIPLA awards to the students at the Special Awards Ceremony.

This year, AIPLA awarded two “First Awards” of $1,000 and two “Second Awards” of $250, in addition to presenting a certificate to each of the students.

The AIPLA award winners, in the accompanying pictures with David Alban, were “First Award” winners Esther Pustil'nik of Jerusalem, Israel for “Visual Illusions as Tools in Schizophrenia Research" and Yale Michaels of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada for “A Potential New Approach  to Chemotherapy in brain Tumors: Disruption of Connexin 43 Particle Arrangement to Induce Apoptosis in Malignant Glioma," and “Second Award” winners Sa'ed Younes Aldaeaghmeh of Amman, Jordan for “The Useful DIMP Spring” and James Zhen Wang of North Canton, Ohio for “The Elimination of Volatile Organic Compounds through the use of Polyethyleneimine Nanofibers.”