Georgia and North Carolina Teens Honored for Research in Biochemistry and
Genetics in Nation's Premier High School Science Competition
Siemens Competition Regional Winners Announced at the Georgia Institute of
Technology. Will Compete for $100,000 at National Finals
ATLANTA, Nov. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Research projects in Biochemistry and
Genetics boasted top marks this evening for James Meixiong and the team of
Sajith Wickramasekara and Andrew Guo in the Region Six Finals of the 2008
Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology, the nation's premier high
school science competition.
The Siemens Competition, a signature program of the Siemens Foundation, is
administered by the College Board. Tonight's winners will receive thousands of
dollars in college scholarships and be invited to compete at the National
Finals in New York City, where the winners of six regional competitions across
the United States will vie for scholarships ranging from $10,000 to the top
prize of $100,000.
"These students have competed with some of the greatest young minds in our
country, and are now on an amazing journey to the finals for the most coveted
high school science prize in the nation," said James Whaley, President of the
Siemens Foundation, based in Iselin, New Jersey. "The fact that we've
experienced a record-setting year, including a 10 percent increase in both
team and individual project submissions and more than a 16 percent increase in
the number of registrations, makes their achievement even more commendable. We
congratulate them on their hard work and look forward to welcoming them to the
national event."
The students presented their research this weekend to a panel of judges
from the Georgia Institute of Technology, host of the Siemens Competition
Region Six Finals.
Individual Winner
James Meixiong, a senior at Lakeside High School in Evans, Georgia, won
the individual category and a $3,000 college scholarship for his biochemistry
research that took several approaches to address how the structure of
mitochondria influences the cellular levels of two proteins, Bax and Bak. His
project is titled Inhibition of Bax/Bak activation by mitochondrial fusion: a
novel mechanism to block programmed cell death.
"The long term goals of Mr. Meixiong's research are to fully comprehend
the complex integrated pathways that lead to apoptosis, or cell death, with
the hope that a small molecule therapeutic could be designed to control
apoptosis in diseased cells," said Dr. Raquel Lieberman, Assistant Professor
in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the Georgia Institute of
Technology. "Mr. Meixiong used three different and technically challenging
approaches and drew responses consistent with his hypothesis in each case,
ultimately creating a shift in the way we think about controlling cell death
for diseases such as Parkinson's, Muscular Dystrophy and Cancer."
Mr. Meixiong is the Team Captain of his school's Science Bowl and the
Olympiad Team and also manages his school's swim team. He won the Department
of Energy's Regional Science Bowl Competition in April 2008. Mr. Meixiong has
won numerous medals at the State Science Olympiad Tournament, including a
first place medal in Ecology. He heard about the Siemens Competition after a
friend was named a Regional Finalist last year.
Mr. Meixiong is fluent in Chinese and is a member of a volunteer
organization called Chinese School United Student Action. He spends his free
time as a math tutor and a junior volunteer at the University Hospital of
Augusta, Georgia. Both of his parents are research scientists at the Medical
College of Georgia. His mentors for this project are Dr. Craig Brooks,
Postdoctoral Fellow at the Medical College of Georgia and Dr. Zheng Dong,
Professor at the Medical College of Georgia.
Team Winners
Sajith M. Wickramasekara and Andrew Y. Guo, both seniors at the North
Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, Durham, North Carolina, won the
team category and will share a $6,000 scholarship for their research that has
the potential to easily identify new chemotherapeutic drugs and greatly
improve existing ones. The team's project combined traditional genetics with
cutting edge computational modeling to streamline the gene discovery process.
Their project is titled, A Functional Genomic Framework for Chemotherapeutic
Drug Improvement and Identification.
"Mr. Wickramasekara and Mr. Guo's project was chosen because despite an
enormous amount of research on cancer therapeutics, there is still a need to
identify new genes to target for treatment," said Dr. Kostas Konstantinidis,
Assistant Professor in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering and
the school of Biology at the Georgia Institute of Technology. "Their approach
has the potential to identify novel treatments that could lead the way to
personalized medicine in the future. The team had exceptional communication
and coordination in executing their project."
Mr. Wickramasekara is the team leader and heard about the Siemens
Competition in 2006 when seniors from his high school were selected as
Regional Finalists. Mr. Wickramasekara has participated in various science
competitions including the 2008 Intel International Science and Engineering
Fair, the North Carolina State Science and Engineering Fair and the North
Carolina Junior Science Humanities Symposium. He is an Eagle Scout in the Boy
Scouts of America and dreams of one day owning his own biotech startup,
specializing in personalized medicine.
Mr. Guo is a Science Olympiad winner and Co-Captain of the Science Bowl
and the Quiz Bowl. He recently received First Place State Team in the Goldman
Sachs National Economics Challenge. Mr. Guo is Co-Founder and Editor of the
Student Journal of Research at the North Carolina School of Science and
Mathematics.
The team worked on this project with the help of their mentor, Dr. Craig
B. Bennett, Assistant Professor, Duke University Medical Center in Durham, NC.
and their high school advisor, Dr. Myra Halpin, Dean of Science, North
Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, Durham, NC.
Regional Finalists
Regional Finalists each received a $1,000 scholarship. In addition, the
Siemens Foundation awards $2,000 per project to the high school of every
Regional Finalist. Regional Finalists in the individual category were:
-- Rohit Thummalapalli, American Heritage School, Plantation, FL
-- Alexander M. Kim, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and
Technology, Alexandria, VA
-- Agatha A. Cummings, Oak Ridge High School, Oak Ridge, TN
-- Varun Bansal, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology,
Alexandria, VA
Regional Finalists in the team category were:
-- Jonathan Wang and Jared V. Goodman, Oak Hall School, Gainesville, FL
-- Katherine S. Xue and Alborz Bejnood, Oak Ridge High School, Oak Ridge,
TN
-- Ruowan Yan and Melissa H. Hou, duPont Manual High School, Louisville,
KY
The Siemens Competition
The Siemens Competition was launched in 1998 to recognize America's best
and brightest math and science students. In another record-setting year, 1,893
students registered to enter the Siemens Competition with a total of 1,205
projects submitted -- this includes an increase of more than 10 percent in
team and individual project submissions and an increase of more than 16
percent in the number of registrations.
Entries are judged at the regional level by esteemed scientists at six
leading research universities which host the regional competitions: California
Institute of Technology. Carnegie Mellon University. Georgia Institute of
Technology. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. University of Notre Dame.
and The University of Texas at Austin.
Winners of the regional events are invited to compete at the National
Finals at New York University in New York City, December 5 - December 8, 2008.
Visit www.siemens-foundation.org on December 8, 2008 at 9:30 am EST to view a
live webcast of the National Finalist Award Presentation.
About 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 math in the United States. Its signature programs, the Siemens Competition
in Math, Science & Technology and Siemens Awards for Advanced Placement,
reward exceptional achievement in science, math and technology. The newest
program, The Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge, encourages K-12
students to develop innovative green solutions for environmental issues. By
supporting outstanding students today, and recognizing the teachers and
schools that inspire their 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 and its parent company, Siemens AG. For more information, visit
www.siemens-foundation.org.
About The College Board
The College Board is a not-for-profit membership association whose mission
is to connect students to college success and opportunity. Founded in 1900,
the association is composed of more than 5,400 schools, colleges,
universities, and other educational organizations. Each year, the College
Board serves seven million students and their parents, 23,000 high schools,
and 3,500 colleges through major programs and services in college admissions,
guidance, assessment, financial aid, enrollment, and teaching and learning.
Among its best-known programs are the SAT(R), the PSAT/NMSQT(R), and the
Advanced Placement Program(R) (AP(R)). The College Board is committed to the
principles of excellence and equity, and that commitment is embodied in all of
its programs, services, activities, and concerns. For further information,
visit www.collegeboard.com.
CONTACT:
Valerie Francois
Siemens Foundation
732-590-5292
valerie.francois@siemens.com
Jennifer Sheeley
Weber Shandwick
212-445-8430
jsheeley@webershandwick.com
Alexander Aizenberg
Weber Shandwick
212-445-8414
aaizenberg@webershandwick.com
SOURCE Siemens Foundation
Valerie Francois, Siemens Foundation, +1-732-590-5292,
valerie.francois@siemens.com; Jennifer Sheeley, +1-212-445-8430,
jsheeley@webershandwick.com, or Alexander Aizenberg, +1-212-445-8414,
aaizenberg@webershandwick.com, both of Weber Shandwick
