AUSTIN, Texas—–>Nine Texas students will participate as regional finalists in the Siemens Westinghouse Science and Technology Competition hosted by The University of Texas at Austin. The competition will be held Friday and Saturday (Nov. 16-17) at the Applied Computational Engineering and Sciences (ACES) Building. (Maps of UT Austin can be obtained at: www.utexas.edu/maps/main).
The Siemens Foundation provides more than $1 million in college scholarships and awards each year for talented high school students in the United States. Individual and team winners from the regional events will compete in Washington, D.C., Dec. 1-3, for scholarships ranging from $10,000 to $100,000.
The contest, administered by The College Board, is open to individuals and teams of high school students developing independent research projects in the physical or biological sciences, or mathematics. The Texas students competing for $3,000 scholarships include:
- Kirsten Frieda of Westlake High School in Austin
- Cynthia A. Chi of Clements High School in Sugarland
- Paras Khandheria of Clear Lake High School in Houston
- Criselda H. Roque of North Crowley High School in Fort Worth
- Charles M. Hallford of the Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science in Denton
- Rebecca E. Williams of North Lamar High School in Paris
- Debra T. Hsiung of Health Careers High School in San Antonio
- Peter Staff of Keystone School in San Antonio
- Vivek Kasinath of Keystone School in San Antonio.
An Austin student won the regional competition at The University of Texas at Austin last year. Samuel Chang of the Science Academy of Austin at Lyndon Baines Johnson High School submitted a project exploring new approaches to treating drug-resistant breast cancer.
Six regional contests are taking place nationwide. Other institutions hosting regional events include Carnegie Mellon University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of California at Berkeley and the University of Notre Dame.
For more information, contact Marie Gentile the Siemens Foundation at (212) 258-4246 or Sheena Hickman at UT Austin at (512) 475-7448. For information about the Siemens Foundation and the Siemens Westinghouse Science and Technology Competition, visit their Website.