NOTRE DAME, Ind., Nov. 9, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Months of
dedication and hard work in science, technology, engineering and
mathematics (STEM) paid off tonight for three students named
National Finalists in the Siemens Competition in Math, Science
& Technology, the nation's premier research competition for
high school students. Arman Bilge of Lexington, Mass. earned the top honors and a
$3,000 individual scholarship for
groundbreaking research on coevolutionary histories of symbiotic
organisms, developing a computer algorithm that may provide further
insight into the study of animal to human transmissions of
diseases, such as influenza and HIV. Noah
Golowich of Lexington,
Mass. and Kavish Gandhi of
Newton, Mass. earned top honors
and the $6,000 team scholarship for
their research on Ramsey theory,
developing novel solutions for an active, complex branch of
mathematics.
The students presented their research this weekend to a panel of
judges from the University of Notre
Dame, host of the Region Three Finals. They are now invited
to present their work on a national stage at the National Finals in
Washington, D.C., December 7-10, 2013, where $500,000 in scholarships will be awarded,
including two top prizes of $100,000.
The Siemens Competition, a signature program of the Siemens
Foundation, is administered by the College Board.
"Congratulations to the winners of the Siemens Competition
Regional Finals for their remarkable research in STEM," said
Jeniffer Harper-Taylor, president of
the Siemens Foundation. "I commend these scholars for their
innovative and creative projects and look forward to seeing them
contend for the top prizes at the National Finals next month."
The Winning Individual
Arman Bilge, a senior at
Lexington High School in Lexington,
Mass., won the individual category and a $3,000 college scholarship for his project,
titled Bayesian Reconstruction of Coevolutionary
Histories.
For his research project, Arman developed a computer algorithm
that investigates and reconstructs the linked evolutionary
histories of symbiotic organisms. His novel methodology can provide
improved, in-depth understandings of disease transmissions and
overall biodiversity.
"We were blown away by Arman's level of expertise and genuine
enthusiasm in his fields of work. He has an extensive grasp of both
biology and applied mathematics," said competition judge Dr.
Holly Goodson, associate professor,
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame. "Very few scientists
possess such breadth and depth of knowledge in a multitude of
fields, but Arman has managed to combine his talents to provide
new, interdisciplinary insights for fundamental questions in
evolutionary biology. With Arman already producing Ph.D-level work,
we have no doubt that he will continue to make impressive
contributions with his research."
Arman is currently associated with Extreme Science and
Engineering Discovery Environment (XSEDE), the largest collection
of integrated advanced digital resources and services in the world,
used by scientists to interactively share computing resources,
data, and expertise. By using the database to run analyses on the
CIPRES Science Gateway, Arman's work was subsequently featured on
the homepage of the National Science Foundation. He also leads the
computational biology club at his high school and volunteers at the
school's Learning Center, where he tutors students in math and
science. Arman is also president of the photography club and an
accomplished violinist. He aspires to be a professor and principal
investigator of a computational evolutionary biology group.
Arman's project mentors were Yi-Chieh
Jessica Wu, research assistant and graduate student,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
Rachel Sealfon, graduate student,
Broad Institute of Harvard and
MIT and Mukul
Bansal, assistant professor, Department of Computer Science
& Engineering, University of
Connecticut.
The Winning Team
Noah
Golowich, junior at Lexington High School in Lexington, Mass. and Kavish Gandhi, junior at Newton North High
School in Newton, Mass., won the
team category and a shared scholarship of $6,000 for their project, titled Partition
Regularity of Linear Homogeneous Equations and
Inequalities.
In their research, Noah and Kavish studied an area of
Ramsey theory, a field of
mathematics that deals with large systems and structure, which has
applications in theoretical computer science and game theory. Their
specific area of research involves partition regularity and
provides novel solutions for equations that have previously been
solved in a trivial way.
"Noah and Kavish studied a fundamental problem in mathematics
and provided new and creative insights," said competition judge Dr.
David Galvin, associate professor,
Department of Mathematics, University of Notre
Dame. "We were so impressed by the mathematical maturity of
these young scholars that have already produced Ph.D-level
research. Partition regularity was first introduced in 1933, and
they are shedding light on a mathematical question that has not
been completely solved after more than 80 years."
Noah is math team captain at his high school, allowing him to
assist and give lectures to his teammates. He participates in
various community service activities through his membership in the
National Honors Society, has received awards for his performance on
national French and Spanish exams, and competes on his school's
tennis team. He plans to pursue a career in mathematics or
science.
Kavish has participated in numerous mathematics competitions and
is a three-time participant in the annual North American Envirothon
competition, winning second place out of 5,000 competing teams in
2012. Kavish is interested in pursuing a career in mathematics,
software engineering, economics or theoretical physics.
Their project mentor was Laszlo Miklos
Lovasz, Ph.D. candidate, Department of Mathematics,
Massachusetts Institute of
Technology.
Regional Finalists
The remaining regional finalists
each received a $1,000
scholarship.
Regional Finalists in the individual category were:
- Jeffrey Cai, Ridge High School, Basking Ridge, N.J.
- Amy Cohn, Park Tudor School, Bloomington, Ind.
- Claire Drysdale, Breck School, Golden
Valley, Minn.
- Claudia Huang, Carmel High School, Carmel, Ind.
Team Regional Finalists were:
- Yihang Hong, Troy High School, Troy, Mich.; Xinchu Tian, Troy High School, Troy, Mich.; and David
Wu, Troy High School,
Troy, Mich.
- Aditya Mukundan, Troy High
School, Troy, Mich.; and
Neha Bidthanapally, Troy High
School, Troy, Mich.
- Frank Wang, Troy High School, Troy, Mich.; and Jordan Zhu, Troy High
School, Troy, Mich.
- Talia Weiss, Evanston Township
High School, Evanston, Ill.; and
Taylor Sims, Evanston Township High
School, Evanston, Ill.
The Siemens Competition
Launched in 1998, the Siemens
Competition is the nation's premier science research competition
for high school students. A record 2,440 students registered for
this year's competition and a total of 1,599 projects were
submitted for consideration. Three hundred thirty-one students were
named Semifinalists and 100 were named Regional Finalists. Entries
are judged at the regional level by esteemed scientists at six
leading research universities which host the regional
competitions: Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, California Institute of
Technology, Carnegie Mellon
University, Georgia Institute of
Technology, University of Notre
Dame and The University of Texas at
Austin.
For news and announcements about the Regional Competitions and
the National Finals, follow us on Twitter @SFoundation
(#SiemensComp) and like us on Facebook at Siemens Foundation. A
live webcast of the National Finalist Awards Presentation will also
be available online at 9:30am EST on
December 10:
www.siemens-foundation.org.
The Siemens Foundation
The Siemens Foundation provides
more than $7 million annually in
support of educational initiatives in the areas of science,
technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in the United States. Its signature programs
include the Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology,
a STEM research competition for high school students, Siemens We
Can Change the World Challenge, a sustainability challenge which
encourages K-12 students to develop innovative green solutions for
environmental issues and the Siemens STEM Academy, a national
educator professional development program designed to support
educators in their efforts to foster student achievement in STEM
fields. By supporting outstanding students and educators today, and
recognizing the mentors and schools that inspire STEM educational
excellence, the Foundation helps nurture tomorrow's scientists and
engineers. The Foundation's mission is based on the culture of
innovation, research and educational support that is the hallmark
of Siemens' U.S. companies. For further information,
visit www.siemens-foundation.org or
follow @SFoundation.
The College Board
The College Board is a
mission-driven not-for-profit organization that connects students
to college success and opportunity. Founded in 1900, the College
Board was created to expand access to higher education. Today, the
membership association is made up of more than 6,000 of the world's
leading educational institutions and is dedicated to promoting
excellence and equity in education. Each year, the College Board
helps more than seven million students prepare for a successful
transition to college through programs and services in college
readiness and college success — including the SAT® and the Advanced
Placement Program®. The organization also serves the education
community through research and advocacy on behalf of students,
educators and schools. For further information,
visit www.collegeboard.org.
Video and photos of winners available on
request.
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Contact:
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Kiesha
Boykins
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Leslie
Park
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Siemens
Foundation
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Weber
Shandwick
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732-321-3150
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212-445-8490
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kiesha.boykins@siemens.com
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lpark@webershandwick.com
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SOURCE Siemens Foundation