2 State Students Among Science Award Finalists
Two California students are among 40 finalists in the prestigious Westinghouse Science Talent Search.
George C. Lee, 18, of Fremont, and Constance Lee Chen, 17, of San Diego, will compete for $205,000 in scholarships March 4-8 in Washington. 8.
They are among 1,662 high school seniors who entered independent research projects this year in the annual competition.
New York led the nation with seven finalists. Maryland and Virginia were next with five and four, respectively. Minnesota had three.
The Westinghouse contest, in its 52nd year, is the oldest science scholarship program in the nation. Five past winners of the scholarships, provided by the Westinghouse Electric Corp., have gone on to win the Nobel Prize.
A panel of eight scientists will interview the finalists to evaluate their scientific creativity. Ten students will be selected for scholarships ranging from $10,000 to $40,000. The other 30 finalists will receive $1,000 each.
Lee, first in his class at Mission San Jose High School, entered his studies of the use of bioremediation in oil spills on the California coast. He is in the school’s science, math and engineering clubs and is a member of the track team. He won the 1992 Outstanding Young Scientist Award of the California Assn. of Professional Scientists.
Chen, who attends La Jolla High School, investigated the relationship between certain leukemia cell genes and the capacity of leukemia cells to form tumors. She has won engineering, medical and health awards, including first place in regional and national Science Olympiads.
