Romanian teenager wins 'junior Nobel Prize' competition

From CNNfn Reporter Louise Schiavone

March 14, 2000
Web posted at: 4:18 p.m. EST (2118 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Inspired by encryption technology and molecular biology, a Romanian-born teenager won first prize in this year's Intel Science Talent Search, an annual contest that showcases the work of promising young scientists across the United States.

Nearly three-quarters of all contestants have earned Ph.D.s or become medical doctors since the search began in 1942. Five have won Nobel Prizes, and many have received National Medals of Science.

This year, 17-year-old Viviana Risco beat out 39 other finalists in the prestigious high school competition, sometimes called the junior Nobel Prize.

Risco endeavored to inject molecular biology into computer sciences, having been inspired by a magazine article about a data encryption technique called steganography, the science of communicating in a manner that hides the existence of the communication.

The young Romanian immigrant hid the message "June 6 Invasion: Normandy" inside a strand of DNA. "It creates a new branch that the field can expand into," Risco said.

The finalists represented the brightest of the next generation of scientists.

Alexandra Neauhaus-Follini studied a crippling neurological condition: "Before cells die, in our study of Parkinson's disease, they undergo a burst of growth."

Joel Corbo's work could herald a popular product for the future. "My project involved a method for treating leather so that it stayed warm to the touch in a hot environment and warm to the touch in a cool environment," he said.

Craig Barrett, CEO of high-tech giant Intel, which sponsored the 2000 competition, marveled at the talent.

"I have a Ph.D. in engineering and I don't think I could hold candle to their high school projects," he said.

Each finalist won at least a $5,000 scholarship and an Intel Pentium III laptop computer. Risco walked away with $100,000 for her education. The money will be greatly appreciated. She has been accepted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and awaits word from Harvard and Stanford universities.

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Steganography
Intel Science Talent Search
Science Service: Intel Science Talent Search Finalists

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