Student's Projects Win $100,000 in Siemens Westinghouse Competition

Aaron Goldin, a senior San Dieguito High School Academy in Encinitas, CA, won the $100,000 Grand Prize scholarship in the individual category for inventing the “Gyro-Gen,” a gyroscope that converts ocean wave energy into electricity. (Lucie) Yueqi Guo and Xianlin Li, seniors at the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics in Durham, NC, won the $100,000 prize in the team category, which they will share equally, for research on identifying new biomarkers that could lead to advances in the early detection and treatment of breast cancer. The winners will ring The Closing Bell™ at the New York Stock Exchange Tuesday, December 7.

“Now more than ever it is vital that we foster the next generation of science and technology innovators to maintain America’s leadership in the global economy,” said Thomas N. McCausland, chairman of the board of the Siemens Foundation. The Siemens Foundation launched the annual Siemens Westinghouse Competition in 1998 to recognize America’s best and brightest students in math, science and technology.

The national finals were judged by a panel of prominent scientists and mathematicians headed by lead judge Dr. Kathie L. Olsen, Associate Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy, Executive Office of the President, and the former Chief Scientist at NASA. “It’s an honor to judge such a prestigious competition and a pleasure to be a part of recognizing our nation’s best and brightest. I am particularly pleased that the competition awards both individual and team efforts, recognizing the importance of collaboration and teamwork in advancing science and mathematics today,” said Dr. Olsen. “On behalf of all the judges, I congratulate these outstanding young scientists and mathematicians on their remarkable achievements.”

Eighteen students competed in the national finals, including six individuals and six teams. The national finalists previously competed in a series of regional competitions held at six leading research universities last month.

The Winning Projects

Aaron Goldin’s winning project is entitled “Autonomous Gyroscopic Ocean-Wave Powered Generator: Invention of a New Energy Conversion Technology.” Mr. Goldin created his gyroscope prototypes in his garage, scavenging an old tape recorder, answering machine, and other household appliances for parts.

“Aaron Goldin created the Gyro-Gen concept for extracting power from ocean waves by combining his love of gyroscopes and oceanography,” said judge Dr. Richard Miles, Professor, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Princeton University. “He has taken an innovative application of gyroscopic principles and turned it into a reality, demonstrating great independence and originality. With further development, his concept may be scalable to large off-shore power generation as a replacement for fossil fuel power plants.”

Mr. Goldin, who recently turned 17 years old, has already won numerous awards, including the Grand Award for Engineering at 2004 Intel ISEF, an award from the US Coast Guard, and first place for Electronics and Electricity at the 2004 California State Science Fair. He is also an accomplished musician and composer. Michael Goldin, his father, and Leslie Gushwa, his science teacher, mentored Mr. Goldin in his research.

In their team project, entitled “CpG island methylation of GADD45α is marker of breast carcinogenesis,” Lucie Guo and Xianlin Li examined the effect of DNA methylation, a natural gene silencing process, on breast cancer. The students demonstrated that breast cancer cell lines exhibit a specific pattern of silencing in the DNA of a particular tumor-suppressor gene. The methylation sites in this gene present potential new biomarkers for methods of early detection and treatment of breast cancer.

“Ms. Guo and Ms. Li have excelled at the scientific process, in the depth of their knowledge and the sophistication of their thinking, executing their experiments with great care, creativity and skill,” said judge Dr. Victor Ambros, Professor of Genetics, Dartmouth Medical School.

Ms. Guo, 17, joined a breast cancer research lab during a summer mentorship and became interested in exploring the genetic causes of cancer. Fluent in Mandarin, she is production manager of her school literary magazine, an editor of her school newspaper, and a senior class representative in student government. She enjoys playing the piano, painting, running, dance, and creative writing. Ms. Guo plans to study biology, biochemistry, biophysics and biomedical engineering in college.

Ms. Li, 17, is also fluent in Mandarin. She is co-captain of Envirothon and Science Olympiad, where she has won several awards. Ms. Li spends her free time volunteering at local libraries and museums, reading, traveling and watching sports. She aspires to be a cardiac surgeon and history teacher.

The other national winners of the 2004-05 Siemens Westinghouse Competition were:

Individuals

• $50,000 scholarship – Po-Ling Loh, Madison, WI
• $40,000 scholarship – Samir Zaidi, Tarrytown, NY
• $30,000 scholarship – Kevin Claytor, Los Alamos, NM
• $20,000 scholarship – Bhaskar Mookerji, Durham, NC
• $10,000 scholarship – Morgan MacLeod, Cumberland, ME

Teams

• $50,000 scholarship – Jessica Fields, Jericho, NY, and Taylor Bernheim, New York, NY
• $40,000 scholarship – Steven Frehn and Andrew Deagon, Palmdale, CA
• $30,000 scholarship – Yisrael Herzberg and Yonatan Schwab, Lawrence, NY
• $20,000 scholarship – Allyson Ho, Sugar Land, TX, and Alex Thachara, Old Westbury, NY
• $10,000 scholarship – Nicole Pranke, Golden Valley, MN, and Ashley Fry, Dix Hills, NY

The Siemens Westinghouse Competition

The Siemens Westinghouse Competition is a signature program of the New Jersey-based
Siemens Foundation, which distributes more than $1 million in scholarships, awards and grants
annually. 1,213 students entered the 2004-05 competition, a 24% increase over the 2003-04
competition.

Entries are judged at the regional level by esteemed scientists and faculty from six
leading research universities, which also host the regional competitions: Carnegie Mellon
University (Middle States), University of Notre Dame (Midwest), University of California,
Berkeley (West), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (New England), Georgia Institute of
Technology (South), and The University of Texas at Austin (Southwest).

The Siemens Foundation

The Siemens Foundation is dedicated to providing scholarships and increasing access to higher education for gifted students in science, mathematics and technology-related disciplines. Established in 1998 to promote and support educational activities, the Siemens Foundation recognizes and supports America’s most promising science and mathematics students and teachers, as well as schools that are doing the most to promote education in the core sciences. The Foundation’s mission is based on the culture of innovation, research and educational support that is the hallmark of Siemens’ U.S. operating companies and its parent company, Siemens AG.