There have been disappointing reports that the US is trailing students from other countries in Math and Science scores for several years. Despite the disappointing performance of American teenagers in academic standings, the Global Google Science Fair was won by American girls in all three categories. That’s right! American young women won a global science competition.
Shree Bose, the winner in the age 17-18 year-old category, did a study testing if Cisplatin, the leading chemotherapeutic drug used to treat cancer, actually has a resistant compound in chemotherapy treatments for women with ovarian cancer. Science competitions are no new thing to Shree Bose, she has won the Exxonmobil Texas State Science Fair for the past four years in a row.
Naomi Shaw is the winner of the 15-16 year-old category. Her project tested the effect of environmental conditions on the lung function as measured by the Peak Expiratory Flow (PEF) rate. Lauren Hodge was the winner of the 13-14 year-old category, and her project investigated whether specific marinade ingredients, like lemon juice and vinegar, have an effect in producing less of phenylmethylimidazopyridine (PHIP), the mutagenic and carcinogenic compounds found in grilled chicken. These are very impressive scientific endeavors, especially considering teenage students from around the United States created them.
For all their hard work these young ladies are walking away with some pretty incredible prizes. All three winners along with a guardian will be traveling to the Galapagos Islands with National Geographic Expeditions. On their 10-day trip they will visit Darwin’s living laboratory where they will have the opportunity to study the unique species of the Galapagos Islands. The winners will also receive a $50,000 scholarship from Google and a once in a lifetime opportunity to have an experience with one of the following partner organizations: CERN, Google, the LEGO Group, or Scientific American. In addition, the winners also received a personalized LEGO prize and a package from Scientific America.
The three young women who won the Global Google Science Fair have not only completed incredible science projects and won some pretty epic prizes; they have single-handedly raised the bar for all American teenagers. No one expected this international science fair to be won by Americans in each category. With American teenagers ranking far behind in academics among other countries, hopefully the victories by these American students will help inspire other science students around the country to push themselves and sweep the Global Google Science Fair again next year.
Check out the Global Google Science Fair page: http://www.google.com/events/sciencefair/index.html
Contact the Westchester Education Examiner at: WestchesterEdExaminer@gmail.com
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