What is the
Intel Science Talent Search, and What’s in it for Me?
Are you looking for a
challenge? Is there a science topic
that you have been curious about but have not been able to thoroughly
investigate? Would you be interested in
the ultimate in high school science fairs? Do you want to learn how to do real science research and report to professional scientists from
around the country? Are you looking for
an educational experience that will be forever beneficial and has the
potential of leading to scholarships and acceptance into the top universities
in the country? If you can answer
“YES!!” to any of these questions, keep reading and find out how you can keep a
long and proud tradition alive at ETHS!
It is time to consider working on an Intel Science Talent Search project
for fall of your senior year.
The Intel Science Talent Search is a
national science competition that is expected to see original scientific papers
reporting results from science research finished by some 2000 of the top high
school seniors in the country. This
competition replaces the Westinghouse Science Talent Search, in which Evanston
Township High School had done phenomenally well over the last fifty years. ETHS students through the years have found
science topics of interest in chemistry, physics and biology and have then
taken them to advanced levels of research and experimentation. No
public high school in the country can boast the record established at ETHS!
Of the thousands of reports submitted
to the science panels of the search only 300 are selected as national
semifinalists. Each semifinalist
receives a $1000 scholarship, and their school also receives $1000. Of those 300, 40 are selected as
finalists. The finalists receive an
all-expense paid trip to Washington D.C. and are eligible for about $400,000 in
scholarships. The paper that is chosen
as the best in the country receives a four-year, $100,000 scholarship to the
four-year college of choice. There is a
gradual decrease in scholarship totals that depends on how the paper is
judged. The minimum a finalist receives
is $5000 as well as a state-of-the-art, high performance computer. In a sense this competition represents the
“Nobel Prize of high school!” In fact,
five past winners of the Science Talent Search have gone on to win Nobels!
Another benefit of participating in this program is the development of the skills necessary to design an experimental procedure, build an apparatus, take data, analyze the data and reach logical conclusions, and write a college graduate-level report for further review by the scientific community. You will discover how science really works by getting your hands dirty; you will be asked to push yourself to new academic highs and learn to defend yourself and your conclusions based on your use of the scientific method. Such an experience is invaluable whether you go into science or not. It basically boils down to learning how to think critically and analytically, and presenting your work to others for review and possible criticism. These are life skills that few high school students have the opportunity to develop or the talent to undertake. We think you have what it takes, and are therefore presenting the opportunity to you to consider.
What will I be expected to do?
Don’t be fooled, if you choose to
take on an Intel project you will be making a long-term commitment. These
are NOT the type of science
experiments and reports you are used to in class. You will be expected to do the some or all of the following:
·
Work
with an advisor to select a reasonable and doable research topic;
·
Do
an extensive survey of the literature, including textbooks, books, Internet
sources and professional scientific journals to become an “expert” in this
field of study;
·
Work
with your advisor to develop an experimental design;
·
Learn
a computer language and develop simulation programs that lead to theoretical
predictions of what you might expect to see in experiments;
·
Build
your experiment and run it to collect your data;
·
Analyze
the data (this includes a thorough statistical analysis) and compare to
simulations;
·
Reach
sound, logical conclusions based on your data;
·
Write
a solid scientific report that follows Intel Science Talent Search guidelines
and submit it before competition deadlines.
The time
required to successfully complete a project varies from student to student and
on the complexity of a given project, but a reasonable estimate on the amount
of time that need to be committed in over a year. This means it is beneficial to begin the
process as a sophomore in order to have the report done by November of your
senior year.
What will your advisor be expected to do?
Your advisor will be a mentor for you and will
assist you within reason
throughout
the duration of your project. Your
advisor will also become an “expert” in your field of study in order to best
serve you and understand a variety of limitations that may exist in certain
paths of research. Advisors will help
determine how practical and doable a project may be so you will not end up
wasting enormous amounts of time and effort.
And your advisor may help you learn technical aspects and details of the
project so you understand as much as possible about your topic.
Do NOT expect your advisor to do the
work for you. They may assist and guide
you, but it is important for you to realize that YOU do the vast majority of
work in order to get the most out of the experience! This really is an exciting
and unique opportunity, so please think about it carefully. It takes time and a huge amount of effort,
but the personal and educational payoffs are priceless!
How do I select a topic?
This is, in some respects, the
toughest part of the project. It can be
difficult thinking of a question that is original and of a scope that can be
done with available equipment in a reasonable period of time. You will sit down with your advisor and
think of topics that interest you, and then it’s a matter of brainstorming and
looking through the literature. There
may be possible projects that are based on research being done at local
universities and national labs such as Fermilab. There are also possible cross-disciplinary projects in subfields
such as biochemistry, biophysics, mathematical physics, quantum chemistry,
solid state physics, material science, computer science, and so on. But the first step is to make a short list
of science areas that are of interest to you…after all, it will be more
interesting and probably more educational for you if you choose something that
you are truly interested in, especially since you will be making a long-term
commitment to the project. Think about
it, and then GO FOR IT!