Moore was the first to observe what later became known as Moore鈥檚 Law, the prediction that computers would become much more powerful in the future because of tiny electronic components that would allow them to do more and more with each passing year. Moore foresaw that these components, called transistors, would be doubled in number on a silicon chip at regular intervals, resulting in a rapid increase in the speed and efficiency of computers.

Moore, who co-founded Intel Corporation in 1968 with Robert Noyce, had a long-standing affiliation with the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), which was sponsored by Intel for many years prior to its current title sponsorship by Regeneron.

He was a visionary thinker who cared deeply about nurturing the next generation of problem-solvers and STEM leaders. His commitment to supporting young scientists led to the establishment of the Gordon E. Moore Award, one of the most prestigious awards at ISEF. Today, the Gordon E. Moore Award for Positive Outcomes for Future Generations continues to recognize Regeneron ISEF finalists who demonstrate a deep commitment to making a lasting difference for future generations through their rigorous scientific inquiry, and passion for discovery and invention, thereby honoring Moore’s legacy. The award is generously supported by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.

In addition to sponsoring this annual $50,000 award for a top Regeneron ISEF winner, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation also supports the Regeneron ISEF Equitable Access Fund for Affiliated Science Fairs, which helps ensure that students throughout the 400 affiliated fairs of ISEF have enhanced research opportunities the world over. In total the Foundation has committed to giving $866,000 over five years in support of global STEM research education.

Moore remains a beacon of inspiration for all who follow in his footsteps. Below, you can read some heartwarming tributes from recipients of the Gordon E. Moore Award over the last decade, arranged chronologically according to the year in which they won.

2010

Amy Chyao (Richardon, Texas, USA)
ISEF Project Title: Lights, Quantum Dots, Action!
Job Title:

Amy was the first recipient of the Gordon E. Moore Award, established in 2010, when she was just sixteen years old. Since then, she has gone on to graduate from Harvard Law School in 2019 and has worked in litigation roles in both the private and public sectors, where her science research background has proven to be an asset.

Reflecting on his recent passing on her birthday, Amy said, “Gordon Moore left an exceptional legacy on science and the world. In building my career and life, I have often reflected on the weight of receiving an honor bearing his name. I feel a kinship with him in many respects鈥攚hether an interest in chemistry since childhood, or a love of nature shared with a spouse, or even some similar personality traits. Gordon Moore expressed through his life鈥檚 work an abiding belief in humanity鈥檚 progress and betterment. This was, in a way, implicit in Moore鈥檚 Law itself, but most evident through his significant philanthropic contributions鈥攊n fact, today, the full name of the Gordon E. Moore Award is the Gordon E. Moore Award for Positive Outcomes for Future Generations. Gordon Moore鈥檚 life is a continual source of inspiration to me, and it remains the honor of my lifetime to have received his namesake award. I hope future generations will continue to draw inspiration from his life and legacy.”

+++

2011

Blake Marggraff (Lafayette, California, USA)
Project Title: Treatment of Simulated Cancer Cells with Compton Scattering-Produced Secondary Radiation
Job Title:

How old were you when you won the Gordon E. Moore Award, and what have you been up to since then?

I received the Gordon E. Moore Award in 2011, along with Matthew Feddersen, when I was 18 years old for research on low-cost enhancements to radiation oncology treatments using tin microparticles and novel cell death quantification techniques. Subsequently, I attended Washington University in St. Louis where I studied biology on a pre-medicine track. Almost accidentally, however, I discovered and became passionate about mission-driven entrepreneurship via a mentor I met during ISEF. While finishing my undergraduate degree, I co-founded and grew a STEM education and technology business. After graduating, I started a venture-backed healthcare technology company which was acquired in late 2021.

How did winning the Gordon E. Moore Award at ISEF impact your life and career goals?

The research behind my project took place completely in the back of a public high school classroom with about $200 of materials that my inspiring A.P. Biology teacher, Jay Chugh, helped source. To say I felt dwarfed by the sophistication of my brilliant peers’ work at the first major science fair I had ever attended would be an understatement. However, as I have been privileged to learn from mentors, investors and collaborators, many of whom I met as a result of my ISEF experience, grit and vision can be force multipliers in every part of life. My ISEF journey also deepened my conviction in the importance of evidence when developing any new technology. My digital health company, for example, began by collaborating with dozens of world-class researchers to achieve independent validation of clinical impact. At the time, this type of approach was nearly unprecedented in the startup world but has since become a requisite in the industry. Strong research and validation, in my view, is neither a luxury or a burden, but instead a necessity to most effectively refine and advance innovations.

How do you believe you are living up to Gordon E. Moore鈥檚 legacy and ideals in your current work or studies?

Winning this award is uniquely humbling. I have reflected deeply on a central mission for myself that might approach the monumental and positive impact of Gordon Moore’s inventions and leadership. In my lifetime, I intend to create companies and products that result in the addition of one billion healthy, productive years of life (known as Quality Adjusted Life Years, or QALYs) to humanity.

The company that I started in 2015, CareSignal, creates patient monitoring solutions and has served hundreds of thousands of patients across the country with chronic, behavioral health, addiction, social determinants of health and maternal health challenges, improving their healthcare outcomes while reducing cost for the U.S. healthcare system and its hard-working healthcare providers. Through this venture, I strive to live up to Gordon Moore’s leadership in innovation, industry and philanthropy. I am deeply grateful for the opportunities that the Regeneron ISEF creates for young scientists and engineers and firmly believe it is among the most effective catalysts for positive impact in the world.

+++

2015

Raymond Wang (Vancouver, Canada)
Project Title:  Aircraft Cabin Airflow: Curbing Disease Transmission
Job Title:

How old were you when you won the Gordon E. Moore Award, and what have you been up to since then?

At 17, receiving the Gordon E. Moore Award at ISEF opened my eyes to the powerful impact and fulfillment of a career in engineering. Since then, I’ve graduated from Harvard in computer science, picked up a pilot’s license, and in 2020, commercialized my patented ISEF invention to help combat COVID’s spread in air travel. Now 25, I most recently founded AeroVect, a startup deploying autonomous driving for airport ground logistics at some of the busiest hubs in the world. Gordon Moore’s legacy has undoubtedly left a lasting impact on our generation, and I’m excited for the future we’ll continue to create, standing on his shoulders.

How did winning the Gordon E. Moore Award at ISEF impact your life and career goals?

ISEF was a pivotal moment in my high school journey, where I was fortunate to meet many lifelong friends from around the globe, who continue to inspire me with their burning passions for creation and relentless spirits for perseverance today. It was also ISEF that challenged me to dig deeper into my passions at the intersection of technology and aviation. It is truly an honor to be a small part of this extraordinary movement, and I’m deeply appreciative of Dr. Moore’s enduring legacy, both directly and through Intel, for creating the nurturing environment that ISEF has offered.

How do you believe you are living up to Gordon E.  Moore鈥檚 legacy and ideals in your current work or studies?

Undoubtedly, Gordon Moore’s legacy has been a powerful inspiration for many in our generation. His unrelenting perseverance, humble ingenuity and incredible ability to bring together brilliant minds are a constant reminder of the immense global impact that a small group of dedicated individuals can make. In our startup journey at AeroVect, we strive to uphold these ideals every day, aiming to emulate the dynamic and collaborative atmosphere Moore fostered at Intel alongside Andy Grove and Robert Noyce. I am grateful for the tremendous, far-reaching impact that Dr. Moore has had on all of us, and hope to carry these ideals forward as we shape an even brighter future together.

+++

2016

Austin Wang (Vancouver, Canada)
Project Title: Boosting MFC Biocatalyst Performance: A Novel Gene Identification and Consortia Engineering Approach

How old were you when you won the Gordon E. Moore Award, and what have you been up to since then?

I was 18 years old when I won the Gordon E. Moore Award. I am now 25 years old and two years into a Ph.D. program in computer science at Princeton, where I am doing research on AI and natural language processing (NLP). 

How did winning the Gordon E. Moore Award at ISEF impact your life and career goals?

It helped prove to myself that anything is possible if you persevere. During college, I decided to pivot from microbiology to computer science. Although I found myself behind and out of my depth on numerous occasions, I pushed through, and now I am doing impactful things that I enjoy. 

How do you believe you are living up to Gordon E.  Moore鈥檚 legacy and ideals in your current work or studies?

The way Gordon E. Moore was able to inspire others through this award is something that I try to live up to. Using a portion of the award money, together with the generosity of other alumni donors, I was able to establish a scholarship fund at my high school to offset the cost of student science and community projects. Gordon Moore has also inspired me to give back, not only financially, but also with my time. I have mentored countless high school students since winning the award. For instance, last year, I volunteered to teach an AI and machine learning course in Mysore, India, and this summer I will be teaching NLP to high school students at . With his philanthropy and generosity, Dr. Moore has inspired us to pay it forward, and because of that I truly believe Dr. Moore has made life-changing contributions that extend far beyond those he reached with his award.

+++

2018

Oliver Nicholls (Sydney, Australia)
Project Title: Autonomous Window Cleaning Robot for Commercial High-Rise Buildings
Job Title:

How old were you when you won the Gordon E. Moore Award, and what have you been up to since then?

I was 18 when I won the award in May 2018. Since then, I have completed a Mechatronics Engineering degree with First Class Honors at UNSW Sydney and had my undergraduate thesis published in the Journal of Nuclear Materials. I have also worked at a startup working on window-cleaning robotics (the subject of my ISEF project) for two years before changing jobs to work in embedded software at a medical device company for nearly the last year.

How did winning the Gordon E. Moore Award at ISEF impact your life and career goals?

With the Gordon E. Moore Award, I was fortunate to have a financial situation where I could focus fully on my university degree, giving it my all every day and allowing me to achieve the results I did. I had been in the process of organizing an international internship in the United States through connections I made with other Gordon E. Moore Award winners along with FIRST Robotics, but unfortunately that fell through because of COVID. The award has also given me publicity and exposure; people could more readily find me online, which helped with a startup I founded and even led to a valuable internship opportunity. Having this award on my resume also helped me get my current job, where I am working on a large complex project.

How do you believe you are living up to Gordon E.  Moore鈥檚 legacy and ideals in your current work or studies?

On one level being a Mechatronics and Software engineer is in line with Gordon E. Moore’s legacy in computing. Moore also focused much of his efforts in philanthropy and in making others鈥� lives better. At ResMed, I work on a team creating software for CPAP and respiratory care devices which drastically improves the lives and health outcomes of those with chronic conditions such as sleep apnea or COPD. This combination I believe is the embodiment of Moore’s legacy, one for which I can be proud.

+++

2019

Krithik Ramesh (Greenwood Village, Colorado, USA)
Project Title: Utilizing Computer Vision and Machine Learning Systems to Develop a Live Time Navigational and Surgical Aid for Spinal Reconstructions
Job Title: Undergraduate Researcher at Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard

How old were you when you won the Gordon E. Moore Award, and what have you been up to since then?

I was 16 years old when I won the Gordon E. Moore Award. Now, I attend MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts where I study computer science and molecular biology. Also, since ISEF, I was named to list and Encyclopedia Britannica鈥檚 20 under 40 Change Makers in medicine. I currently work in the Sabeti Lab at the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT and on computational phylogenetics and CRISPR detection platforms for infectious diseases. I spend my time attempting to better understand biological phenomena through machine learning. I am currently 20 years old and intend to pursue an MD-PhD after graduation.   

How did winning the Gordon E. Moore Award at ISEF impact your life and career goals?

This was one of the most influential moments of my life. ISEF introduced me to top researchers around the world, some of whom I work for now. At times, I still remember when I won this award, reinforcing my commitment to academia and pursuing a career in research. This award has given me the privilege of working with my scientific heroes, and one day I hope to follow in their footsteps and have my own lab that aims to address pressing issues at the intersection of AI and biology.

How do you believe you are living up to Gordon E.  Moore鈥檚 legacy and ideals in your current work or studies?

I strive to embody Dr. Moore鈥檚 commitment to scientific innovation and technical progress. I hope that the research I do at MIT and for the rest of my career will end up leading to cures for genetic disorders and preventing the next pandemic. 

+++

2021

John Benedict Estrada (Fresno, California, USA)
Project Title: Development of a Novel AI Drought-Stress Assessment Model in Bell Pepper (Capsicum annuum) Plants Using a Custom-Built Robotic RGB + Infrared Camera
Currently: Senior at Clovis North High School in Fresno, Davidson Fellow

How old were you when you won the Gordon E. Moore Award, and what have you been up to since then?

I was 16 in 2021 and am now 18. I competed and won this award at ISEF 2022. I have also been awarded the Davidson Fellows Scholarship and the U.S. Stockholm Junior Water Prize.

How did winning the Gordon E. Moore Award at ISEF impact your life and career goals?

Winning the Gordon E. Moore Award in 2021 solidified my commitment to making a positive impact in the world. I realized those who take initiative are the individuals who create a positive impact on society. I view this award as not an end, but rather a beginning of a lifelong journey to try to change the world for the better.

How do you believe you are living up to Gordon E.  Moore鈥檚 legacy and ideals in your current work or studies?

I have been trying my best to live up to my benefactor’s enduring legacy, especially in the field of computer science. After receiving the award in 2021, I continued with my AI Drought Assessment Model development and successfully conducted a field trial on tomato plants where I demonstrated its practical use, potentially saving 26 billion gallons of water in California alone. This project won me not only the first grand award at ISEF 2022 but also a $25,000 Davidson Fellows Scholarship that I can also use for college, as well as the US Stockholm Junior Water Prize (SJWP). I then represented the USA at the Global SJWP in Sweden where I presented my project to the Crown Princess of Sweden, HRH Princess Victoria.

Despite these awards and accolades, I believed my work was not done, so I continued to study hard in high school and was eventually admitted to Gordon E. Moore’s alma mater in my senior year, the University of California, Berkeley. This year is the first time that UC Berkeley is allowing direct admission into their high-demand programs as a freshman. I am proud to be one of their first direct entrants into the Letters and Sciences computer science major. As one of their top applicants, I was also awarded the Regents and Chancellor’s Scholarship – their highest merit scholarship for incoming freshmen. It was during the orientation of this prestigious scholarship that I saw Gordon E. Moore’s name inscribed in one of the buildings on campus, and that moment truly inspired me, and I felt that it was a sign that I am making a step in the right direction in living up to his legacy and ideals.

+++

2022

Napassorn Litchiowong (Pleng)
Project Title: BiDEx 鈥� A Screening System for Rapid Proactive Detection of Patients With Liver Fluke Infection Using a CNN Model To Detect Orphistorchis viverrini Eggs From Microscopic Fecal Images and a NN Model for Infection Risk Assessment
Job Title: Intern at National Electronics and Computer Technology Center (NECTEC); Co-Founder BiDEx

How old were you when you won the Gordon E. Moore Award, and what have you been up to since then?

I received the award when I was 17 years old. Since then, my passion for helping my community has led me to develop projects like a video call chatbot that utilized AI techniques to detect depression in teenagers. Now, at 18, I am determined to continue creating projects that embody the spirit of the award, striving to leave a lasting, positive impact on the world.

How did winning the Gordon E. Moore Award at ISEF impact your life and career goals?

It has had a profound impact on my life and the lives of young people around me. Our project 鈥淏iDEx鈥�, aimed at assisting with local diseases in our country, sparked a wave of inspiration among my peers. Students in my school began to develop projects addressing local problems across diverse fields like science, medicine, art, and politics, creating positive change within our community.

This award has fueled my own passion to contribute further to society. The award’s identity has become the guiding mission of my life鈥攖o help others. This has influenced my career goals as well. No longer solely focused on technology, I am now determined to study public policy and government. My aim is to harness technology’s potential and advocate for its integration into nationwide systems that will alleviate the suffering of countless people.

How do you believe you are living up to Gordon E.  Moore鈥檚 legacy and ideals in your current work or studies?

I endeavor to create solutions that address social issues and improve lives. Alongside my projects, I also plan to pursue college majors that enable me to examine the wider implications of technology and find ways to use it for the greater good. I hope to contribute to a lasting, positive impact on society, aligning with Gordon E. Moore’s vision and values.

+++

2022

Chris Tidtijumreonpon
Project Title: BiDEx 鈥� A Screening System for Rapid Proactive Detection of Patients With Liver Fluke Infection Using a CNN Model To Detect Orphistorchis viverrini Eggs From Microscopic Fecal Images and a NN Model for Infection Risk Assessment
Currently: Studying Chinese at the University of Chengdu and, Co-Founder BiDEx

How old were you when you won the Gordon E. Moore Award, and what have you been up to since then? How old are you now?

I was 16 years old when I won the Gordon E. Moore Award and am 17 now. When my team received the Gordon E. Moore Award, we were still in 12th grade, so after the competition we mainly prepared for college admissions. After we graduated near the end of February, (Thailand’s curriculum schedule is a little different from the U.S.) we all went our separate ways. I came to study Chinese in Chengdu University’s language course to prepare to study in a Chinese university. 

How did winning the Gordon E. Moore Award at ISEF impact your life and career goals?

Winning the Gordon E. Moore Award opened up many more opportunities for me university-wise. This award gave me more confidence in my ability to learn and do things, knowing that if I try hard enough, I can solve all problems which I face. It also gave me a better understanding about myself to choose the right career path that I am certain will suit me. 

How do you believe you are living up to Gordon E. Moore鈥檚 legacy and ideals in your current work or studies?

I am currently working to improve my abilities in order to help the people of the world, similar to the project I made. I know that the world is not perfect, so there will always be problems no matter how much they are solved, but I just wish to solve at least one of these problems whether big or small.

Discover the incredible innovation and scientific brilliance at this year鈥檚 Regeneron ISEF in Dallas, Texas! Explore all the finalists鈥� projects at  and catch the Grand Awards Ceremony on May 19 from 9:00 a.m. 鈥� 11:30 a.m. CT, where the winner of the top awards will be announced, including this year鈥檚 Gordon E. Moore Award winner: . Can鈥檛 watch live? Catch it on-demand on YouTube. Join us in celebrating the next generation of scientists and engineers as they tackle some of the world鈥檚 most pressing issues!

The post Beyond the Fair: the transformative impact of the Gordon E. Moore Award on young scientists appeared first on 京东影业影视传媒.

Brian was invited to give a talk about his ISEF research at NASA Headquarters.

Photo courtesy of Brian Wu.

鈥淎s an ISEF Special Award Organization, NASA aims to honor students who demonstrate the greatest potential to contribute to the space program as well as embody the creativity, hard work and ingenuity essential to NASA鈥檚 mission,鈥� a spokesperson for NASA said. 鈥淏rian was selected to receive NASA鈥檚 Grand Prize because his research demonstrated the power and potential of selected techniques; his presentation was extremely thoughtful and the Agency鈥檚 judges found his work to be truly stellar. Brian was invited to NASA Headquarters in order to introduce the Agency鈥檚 scientists and technologists to his research. NASA is inspired to have Brian be part of the Artemis generation as the agency prepares to land humans on the Moon again by 2024.鈥�

Brian with his project at ISEF 2019 in Phoenix.

Photo courtesy of 京东影业影视传媒 & the Public/Kyle Ryan.

Brian鈥檚 interest in astronomy stems from a fascination with space and the stars. This interest gained urgency due to his belief that the Earth may become uninhabitable in the near future. 鈥淓arth is currently undergoing a massive transformation that will likely result in the end of civilization if no action is taken. Cities are becoming shrouded in industrial smog, water levels continue to rise and extreme weather events keep devastating remote areas,鈥� Brian noted. 鈥淭ake the ongoing fires that have devastated much of the Amazon rainforest for example. This is a vital ecosystem that plays a major role in maintaining Earth鈥檚 biodiversity. A large number of organisms native to the area have died out. What has really amazed me about this situation is that governments around the world have taken so long to respond to this natural disaster. While I aspire to play a major role in ultimately transporting humans to our second home, elsewhere in the universe, it is also critical that we are able to unite as one in order to save what truly matters most鈥搊ur existence.鈥�

In 2018, Brian finished the first phase of his research. 鈥淚 focused on the detection of giant planets and brown dwarf candidates, especially ones with short orbital periods that better explain the formation of these worlds and how they interact with other objects in space.鈥� Returning to ISEF in 2019, Brian built upon his previous discovery of a (a planet that orbits two stars instead of one) and worked to prove its existence.

Brian gave an hour-long presentation about his research to scientists across NASA鈥檚 agencies.

Photo courtesy of Brian Wu.

Brian was honored to present his research at NASA鈥檚 headquarters, located just a couple of blocks south of the National Mall. The room was filled with prominent scientists and researchers across NASA; an incredible networking opportunity for a young aspiring astronomer. 鈥淭here are many factors that may cause planetary-like signals to appear in a star鈥檚 radial velocity data鈥攖hese are measurements of the speed and direction a star is moving relative to the observer. I was able to show that the signal I was looking at was indeed caused by a planet.鈥� Using radial velocity data collected by the , he created a specialized software that allowed him to generate spectra of any arbitrary star. This enabled Brian to identify and eliminate several major sources of error that may have contributed to the planetary-like signal, which meant that the most likely source of the signal was from the planet itself. The same method could allow astronomers to more efficiently and precisely confirm stellar companions.

As an ISEF Special Award Organization, NASA commented that Brian鈥檚 work is 鈥渢ruly stellar.鈥�

Photo courtesy of Brian Wu.

In the future, Brian plans to study physics and engineering. 鈥淚 believe the knowledge in both fields is critical towards my future career as an entrepreneur in space exploration.鈥� Given that the recently reported that we may be headed for a mass extinction event if no action is to be taken by 2050, we鈥檒l be relying on Brian鈥檚 success in transforming humanity into an interplanetary species.

The post Young astronomer鈥檚 research implores us to think beyond appeared first on 京东影业影视传媒.

Adyant on his way to accept his best of category in environmental engineering award

PHOTO COURTESY OF SOCIETY FOR SCIENCE & THE PUBLIC/CHRIS AYERS

What was your experience like at Intel ISEF?

In a word: amazing. I met many talented people who shared my passions and research goals and learned new things by talking to fellow competitors and students from other countries.

What issues do you feel all countries should unite to take on?

Issues concerning the safety of our citizens. There is too much violence and hatred in this world against various groups. Countries must come together to realize that hatred and destruction can never be a solution if we want a peaceful world to exist.

How do you unwind when you’re not doing research?

I play the piano or read news covering the latest in technology鈥攅specially in the field of medicine. I am extremely interested in technology and strongly believe in its ability to solve medical issues such as cancer, a disease plaguing the world today.

What is something you don’t currently understand that you wish you understood?

I wish I understood the truth of how the Earth was created and whether there is life beyond Earth. While it is amazing that we are the only known living creatures in our solar system, I wish I knew whether there is life in the 100 billion other galaxies in the universe.

The post Five questions with ISEF 2019 Best of Category in Environmental Engineering winner, Adyant Shankar appeared first on 京东影业影视传媒.

Shicheng on stage during the Intel ISEF 2019 Grand Awards Ceremony

PHOTO COURTESY OF SOCIETY FOR SCIENCE & THE PUBLIC/CHRIS AYERS

How do you deal with setbacks?

When I first began my project, I couldn鈥檛 understand all of the relevant literature or fully grasp the advanced lab techniques required for each experiment. Many of my ideas failed. Fortunately, I always had more ideas, and my passion for chemistry and help from fellow researchers kept me trying and working. Eventually, I had the opportunity to present my research at ISEF.

Unfortunately, on the floor at the Public Exhibition of Projects, I realized my project title wasn鈥檛 understandable for everyone, including some judges. The phrase 鈥楨lectrochemical CO2 reduction鈥� in the title was confusing. I listened to my gut and started asking whoever walked by if they were interested in artificial photosynthesis, which I thought people might be more familiar with. Finally, I got 15 grand award judges to interview me and gained their recognition and understanding.

What is something you don鈥檛 understand currently that you hope to understand in the future?

I want to understand how organic chemistry functions in nature and affects human beings. I want to know what enzymes nature uses for carbon or nitrogen fixation, which is knowledge that I believe can be of great value to our design of catalysts. I also want to learn how mental diseases emerge in human beings on a molecular level so we can think of ways to treat them.

How do you unwind when you are not doing research?

Last summer, I completed the majority of the work for my project; it was the most memorable of all summers. Every morning, I went to Fudan University at 7 a.m. and came home at midnight. My favorite thing for relaxation was walking around campus, looking out at the beautiful lake or napping under the trees with some cats on the grass. Nature calms my mind and inspires ideas.

The post Five questions with ISEF 2019 Best of Category in Chemical Energy winner, Shicheng Hu appeared first on 京东影业影视传媒.

The post How to communicate your science appeared first on 京东影业影视传媒.

Natalie Bush (center) on stage at the 2016 Intel ISEF with Roz Hudnell (left), Intel Corporation’s Chief Diversity Officer, and Maya Ajmera (right), President & CEO of 京东影业影视传媒 & the Public.

Photo courtesy of 京东影业影视传媒 & the Public.

NATALIE: I grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and traveled within the states for all my family vacations and science fair trips. This cultural and educational trip to India allowed me to trace the roots of history to the present day and reflect on how science influences cultural development.

Science is such a central part of my American life, but it is also crucial to lives all around the world. And the journey to India proved that science connects researchers from different countries.

These participants do represent the future, so interacting with such a group is scientifically enriching and personally rewarding.

This trip to India allowed me to reflect on how science influences cultural development.

EDWARD: On our first day in India, we visited the Institute of Bioinformatics & Biotechnology at the University of Pune. The students showed us the facility and various labs ranging from horticulture to proteomics. I was very impressed by the wide range of research each student was exposed to at the institution.

Jiwoo Lee on stage at the 2016 Intel ISEF.

Photo courtesy of 京东影业影视传媒 & the Public.

JIWOO: It was very interesting to see all of the laboratories, because they were very different from American laboratories. For example, in America you’re required to wear closed-toed shoes in the lab, but in India you’re required to take off your shoes.

EDWARD: We met IRIS National Science Fair (IRIS) participants and participated in various activities with them, including kite flying and making light-up T-shirts. We also participated in the IRIS opening ceremony, where we answered a question from the audience. For dinner, we went to a hotel rooftop restaurant where we met all the Intel ISEF alumni from India. At the final IRIS ceremony, we saw twenty projects become the 2017 Team India for Intel ISEF.

On our second day, we visited the National Chemical Laboratory and met several researchers. We learned about malaria treatment studies, NMR assays, and molecular dynamics studies. I was particularly interested in their simulation of pores in the cell membrane due to a molecule from a bee sting. Afterwards, we attended a light show at the Mastani Mahal. One of the Intel ISEF alumni who understood Marathi kindly translated the show for me.

We saw twenty projects become the 2017 Team India for Intel ISEF.

The trip was an unforgettable cultural experience. Surrounded by vibrant colors, unique spices, and many people of all ages, I had a taste of India that has humbled me and connected me to another culture of the world. It was truly an honor to meet such accomplished people at the science fair and other places, including government directors, researchers, and accomplished students of the Institute of Biotechnology and IRIS. I greatly appreciate the hospitality and attention toward making our experience memorable and exciting. Now, I have many stories to share with my Indian friends here in America.

The post ‘Science connects researchers from different countries’ appeared first on 京东影业影视传媒.

The post 11 Society alumni receive Davidson Fellowships appeared first on 京东影业影视传媒.

The post Leaving CERN with new perspective on life appeared first on 京东影业影视传媒.

The post Intel ISEF alumna a Breakthrough Prize Junior Challenge finalist appeared first on 京东影业影视传媒.

David said the sciences are so broad that anyone can find a topic or particular field they enjoy. He encourages students interested in STEM to listen to the ongoing science debates and add to the conversation with their own research.

Participating in ISEF opened new worlds for David, who traveled to South America for other science fairs.

Describe your ISEF experience:

I remember the first time I saw the floor with all the exhibits and feeling a mixture of awe and amazement. It was inspiring to see so many booths on so many different topics. I made a lot of friends at the event too, though it was hard to keep in touch when we all went back to our respective homes. The creative energy that was present at Intel ISEF events is something I have since sought to recreate at work.

After Intel ISEF 1994, I also had the opportunity to travel to South America with two other individuals to their science fair. We flew from Houston to Santiago, Chile and from there to Mendoza, Argentina, which required the plane to do a corkscrew to navigate the mountains and land. I had to translate my poster materials and handouts into Spanish for the presentation. I also had to bring a computer. Back then, that meant shipping a desktop with my luggage via our planes and having them inspected at customs. I also had to find the right power converters and there was one instance where the fuse in my computer blew and that night my new science fair friends helped me find a place that could replace the power supply for a presentation the following morning. Meeting science fair participants from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Uruguay, and other South American countries was an experience I’ll never forget.

I became interested in computers at an early age.

How did you become interested in your project topic?

I completed four different computer simulation projects for Intel ISEF, including ones of: plate tectonics; oil spills in the Gulf of Mexico; fertilizer and other nutrient spill-off into the Chesapeake Bay; and forest fire flame front propagation given wind, foliage, and terrain conditions. Each sought to model the natural dynamics of these events based on first principles, where given historical events that had occurred, the computer could accurately recreate what had happened and provide credibility that it could accurately predict future events as they unfolded.

I became interested in computers at an early age. Back when I was 5, my grandfather purchased a computer for our family. It was an IBM PC with a whopping 128 kilobytes of RAM, 5.25″ floppy disks, and 16-color display. In time, I became curious as to how the machine worked, so I started playing around with BASIC, then C, and later Assembly-language programming. I also took the machine apart a couple of times to understand how it worked.

I liked watching systems 鈥� whether they were natural systems or systems of human activity 鈥� and trying to figure out why they worked. This interest led me to want to create computer simulations of natural systems, recreating in code the physical reality that surrounds us all. Reading Isaac Asimov’s “Foundation” trilogy, which talks about the possibility of psychohistory 鈥� being able to predict the future based on events in the past that trigger a sequence of events 鈥� also inspired my research inquiries. In doing the research, I had to balance the complexity of the models with the limits of computational power and memory at the time. For my first effort, I only had 1 megabyte of RAM and an 80286 processor, for the latter efforts I had 8 megabytes of RAM and an 80486 with an added math coprocessor.

Intel ISEF opened up new worlds for me.

How did original research and events like ISEF affect your career trajectory?

ISEF opened up new worlds for me. Back in 1993, partly as a result of my participation in Virginia science fairs in middle school, the U.S. Navy invited me to be an “argonaut” for the  led by Dr. Robert Ballard, who discovered the Titanic. We spent 10 days in the Sea of Cortez in March 1993, mapping the deeps and plate tectonic activity, and bringing up specimen from the depths via a device that Dr. Ballard called a slurp gun, a small vacuum attached to the submersible rover. We also televised the research expedition live to students across the U.S. via CNN.

ISEF also connected me to the government. At 15, I started working for a continuous electron beam accelerator facility, helping with different computer simulations of the 4 GeV beam. Later, I worked with the Department of Defense on an IT system to provide telemedicine using satellite connections and to transfer high-resolution X-ray images of remote patients from the Balkans conflict. At age 17, I had the opportunity to work with Dr. William Jeffrey and others at the Institute for Defense Analyses on small satellites, building a computer simulation that used images from orbiting satellites to detect and predict the spread of a forest fire from space.

What are you up to now?

In 2012, I was invited to lead the National Commission for the Review of Research and Development (R&D) Programs of the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC) as Principal Strategist and Executive Director. I oversaw a team of interagency assignees working with 12 congressionally appointed bipartisan commissioners and across the Executive Branch. I led a team recommending new efforts and reviewing future science and technology plans of the entire IC and its unclassified multibillion budget. In this position, I also met with IC agency heads to solicit their future R&D and technology needs. In 2013, I received the Roger W. Jones Award for Executive Leadership, the National Intelligence Exceptional Achievement Medal, and directed an interagency team receiving the National Intelligence Meritorious Unit Citation for advancing both improved security and public freedoms.

After this role, I was selected as chief information officer for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). I led teams of 400 or more technology professionals focused on modular modernization of the Commission鈥檚 technology endeavors. I transformed the FCC鈥檚 legacy IT with more than 207 systems to award-winning tech in less than two years. I was awarded Fedscoop 50 in 2014 and 2015 for Federal Leadership. In 2015, I received CIO Magazine’s CIO100 and Federal Computer Week’s Fed100 awards, with the team I supervised receiving AFFIRM’s Leadership Award in Cloud Computing, and the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association’s Outstanding Achievement Award. I was also named the  by Forbes and Huffington-Post in 2015.

Are there any career highlights you would like to share?

During college I built a computer simulation of the spread of HIV/AIDS in South Africa and volunteered as a journalist in Cape Town in 1998 to help share information about prevention and treatment efforts. This led to me working as a volunteer crew leader with Habitat for Humanity International in the Ghana, Honduras, Nepal, Philippines, and Romania. In 2000, I signed up for the Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Program with the Centers for Disease Control. On September 11, 2001, I was supposed to brief the CIA and FBI about technology measures we would employ if a bioterrorism event were to occur. When the world changed at 8:34 a.m., the Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Team mobilized, and for the next three weeks none of us got a lot of sleep. Later we, and several others, responded to the anthrax events in 2001, West Nile Virus, Severe Acute Respiratory System in 2003, monkeypox, ricin, and other emergency events.

In 2005 I began to pursue a PhD focused on how to improve intra- and inter-organizational responses to disruptive events. Later, I completed two post-docs at MIT and Harvard on networked decision making. I then volunteered to deploy to Afghanistan in 2009 to help military and humanitarian leaders think differently about efforts on the ground. From 2010-2011, I chaired as a non-partisan Senior Executive the initial White House subcommittee efforts to improve relations among the information integration, network interoperability, and civil liberties activities of the U.S. government. I directed responsible information sharing efforts across defense, intel, law enforcement, homeland security, and diplomatic communities internationally. In 2012, I received the Arthur S. Flemming Award for Leadership, with past alumni including Neil Armstrong, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Elizabeth Dole, and Robert Gates. In 2014, I was named a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. In 2015, I was an Eisenhower Fellow to Taiwan and Australia and was invited to serve as a Visiting Executive-In-Residence at Harvard.

Do you have any advice for young students interested in science?

The sciences are a broad field, including everything ranging from physics, to biology, computer science, to psychology. What makes the sciences distinct from other fields of study is the ability to repeat, learn from, and create cumulative knowledge based on the past research of others. In several ways, the sciences are like a continuous conversation of knowledge, discussion, debate, and refinement.

I recommend young students explore and discover what part of the sciences interest them the most. It’s such a broad field that almost everyone will find something that appeals to them. Take the time to learn what ongoing conversations and debates exist in that part of science and then reflect on how you might add to the conversation. Think creatively. The best part of science is the creative exploration aspect. Most importantly, find ways to have fun as you learn more about our universe and reality.

The post ISEF opened up new worlds for this alum appeared first on 京东影业影视传媒.