The world’s next generation of innovators, including students from Pakistan, are in San Jose, California, USA, to compete in the world’s largest pre-college science competition: the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair 2010, a program of Society for Science & the Public.
1,611 high school students from 59 countries, regions and territories share ideas, showcase cutting-edge research and inventions, and compete for international recognition and more than US$4 million in prizes. The winners of the Intel National Science Olympiad, held earlier this year in Islamabad, represent Pakistan in this years’ Intel ISEF. Five students from Islamabad, Karachi and Khairpur take part.
“Once again the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair displays the remarkable creativity and ingenuity of young people from around the world,” said Ashar H. Zaidi, Country Manager, Intel Pakistan Corporation. “They demonstrate deep passion for math and science and remind us that these subjects are the foundation of innovation, creativity, and discovery. Every year, the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair gives us reasons to be excited – and confident – about the future.”
For the first time, this year’s top winner will receive the Gordon E. Moore Award, a US$75,000 prize from the Intel Foundation in honor of the Intel co-founder and retired chairman and CEO. Moore is perhaps best known for “Moore’s Law,” which for more than 45 years has guided the semiconductor industry to deliver ever-more powerful chips while decreasing the cost of electronics. Two second-place winners will receive Intel Foundation Young Scientist Awards of US$50,000 each.
The 2010 finalists’ independent research projects include such topics as climate change, clean energy, autism, cancer, education reform, aerospace and robotics. Twenty-four percent of 2010 participants have a patent or are considering applying for one for their research.
The Karachi teams’ project, which explores ‘Cost effective industrial pollution prevention’ will be represented in the ‘chemistry’ category. Zain Shami from Islamabad, participating in the same category, will show a project titled ‘Preparation of black ink from fruit arils of pomegranate’. Sheeraz Munir from Khairpur examines the use of ‘Lolium and Paspalum’ species for decreasing air pollution.
