The Chosen: 7 of 40 Intel Finalists are Indian Americans Francis C. Assisi

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Questioning the link between gender and math performance has propelled Rohini Rau-Murthy, 17, of Yorktown High School in New York to the elite list. Her project "Implicit Math Cognition" has disproved the stereotype that males are better at math than females. Scientific proof, she said, is the first step in changing attitudes.

Her study suggests that women perform better than expected on math tests when they do not remind themselves they are the gender traditionally viewed as the poorer performers. Rohini hopes further study will recalibrate self- and societal perceptions about gender-based math performance. Long-term benefits would support young women, ideally increasing their pursuit of math-related studies and representation in the math and science workforce. "All this legislation is working toward" eliminating the gender gap, she said. "But that isn't going to do anything unless people's ideas change. Research like this can cure the stereotype."

Rohini plays piano, clarinet and is fluent in French and Kannada. Her classical Indian dance performances have received critical acclaim in the United States and India. The daughter of Dr. Seshashayee Murthy and Nalini Rau, Rohini hopes to study biochemistry at Harvard.

Neha Chauhan, a 17-year-old senior at Susan E. Wagner High School on Staten Island, New York, studied Alzheimer's disease and whether chemical compounds in foods like green vegetables and green tea could delay the onset of the disease.

She took an interest in the topic as a sophomore after learning that there were more than 15,000 people on Staten Island suffering from the disease, she said. "It became a bit of an obsession for me, actually." Last year she founded a national group, Teens for Alzheimer's Awareness, to educate young adults, about AD. She hopes to complete an M.D./Ph.D. program in biological sciences at Harvard, ultimately specializing in the field of geriatrics. Ranked first in her class of 457, Neha has received numerous awards as well as a scholarship for her outstanding achievements in arts and dance. Neha is the daughter of Drs. Ved and Abha Chauhan.

Ryna Karnik, 17, of Aloha, Oregon, was selected for her project in engineering describing a method of constructing microchips using a focused ion beam (FIB) as a "molecular pencil" to directly "write" transistors onto silicon wafers. This is a departure from traditional methods, which involve a process called photolithography. Using her patent-pending technique, she created a working transistor. Applications of her findings could save microchip developers time and money when creating and testing prototype semiconductor chips.

At Oregon Episcopal School in Portland, Ryna enjoys varsity fencing, dressage, aikido and tutoring disadvantaged elementary school students in physics. As a freshman, she built a particle accelerator from an old Van de Graaff generator. She counts among her many honors, several engineering awards at the 2003 Intel ISEF as well as qualifying as a Junior Olympics competitor in sabre fencing. Although Ryna plans to study pre-med at Stanford and eventually complete an M.D./Ph.D. program, she says she is an engineer at heart, who hopes to become a medical researcher. Ryna is the daughter of Milind and Parizad Karnik

Divya Nettimi, 17, of Oakton, Virginia, developed a method of calculating theoretically the rate at which myosin, a molecular biomotor, reacts with adenosine triphosphate (ATP), an energy source, and drives muscle contraction for her Intel Science Talent Search project in biochemistry.

She developed a model for the myosin-ATP reaction system and derived an equation using kinetics, thermodynamics and experimental data. Her calculations show that a myosin molecule moves along an actin filament in muscle at approximately 2.5 X 107 nanometers per second. Divya found that the reaction rate is primarily affected by myosin, and only indirectly by ATP, suggesting more and denser muscle tissue is needed to add more myosin in order to perform more strenuous activity. At Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, she helped start the Assistive Technology Club that makes reading devices to help motor-disabled children learn to communicate. Among her long list of honors is the Congressional Award Bronze Medal. Born in India, Divya is the daughter of Vidyadhar and Kalyani Nettimi. She plans to attend Harvard and become a research scientist

For his project in Mathematics, Gaurav Subhash Thakur, 17, of Rockville, Maryland, studied generalized factorial functions, analyzing the "powerfactorial" function.

The study of the powerfactorial is important because of its close connection to spectral function theory, differential geometry, string theory and the Riemann Hypothesis. After earning his diploma from The Learning Community International in Columbia, Gaurav plans to attend Princeton or the University of Maryland. His hobbies include computer gaming and game modification as well as designing and constructing Lego models. His interests include physics and machine design, although math is his first love. His community service activities include work as a kindergarten teacher's assistant. Gaurav is the son of Dr. Subhash and Smita Thakur

Arjun Anand Suri, 17, of Fresno, California, became a finalist for his biochemistry project, researching the effect of tyrosine sulfation, a process in protein synthesis, on the binding of a molecule with a cell receptor.

He used a computer algorithm to predict occurrence of the process in seven transmembrane receptor proteins and created 3D models to predict sulfation locations. He found that these sites were clustered around the binding region, suggesting their interaction with the binding molecule, and believes that his model may improve pharmaceutical designs for drugs that target these binding sites.

Arjun is first in his class of 672 at Clovis West High School, where he plays varsity tennis, captains the academic decathlon team, edits the literary magazine, is vice president of his class and president of the Indian-Pakistani Club. Arjun has perfect SAT scores and has earned numerous awards in math, science, history and writing. He is a musician, skier, scuba diver and emergency room volunteer. The son of Drs. Madhav and Anuradha Suri, he plans to attend Harvard

Sean Dilip Raj, 18, of Sugar Land, Texas, studied blood stem cell therapy and its potential as a treatment for heart failure in his Intel Science Talent Search project in medicine and health.

Transplanted adult blood stem cells can generate mature cells that repair organs, including the heart, but the mechanism is not well understood. Sean demonstrated that these newly generated cells are created both by fusion (70%), where stem cells combine with existing heart cells, and by transdifferentiation (30%), where stem cells become heart cells via their unique ability to generate cardiac muscle cells. With promise of being a more accessible alternative to heart transplantation, stem cell therapy could treat many of the 5 million Americans afflicted annually.

After graduating from Hightower High School in Missouri City, Sean would like to earn a combined B.A./M.D. at Rice and Baylor Universities and become a cardiologist. He has many science awards for his work on bottled water safety, and was honored as a U.S. finalist in the Stockholm Junior Water Prize. Sean has mentored middle schoolers on preparing for high school. Fluent in French and Gujarati, he is the son of Drs. Dilip Rajkotia and Saroj Vadhan-Raj.

The Intel finalists, who each received $5,000 and a laptop computer, will travel to Washington from March 11 to 16 to compete for $530,000 in scholarships. In Washington, the finalists will present their projects at the National Academy of Sciences to a panel of 12 judges who will rank them based on visual display, sophistication of research, innovation in conclusions and the students' knowledge of various topics within their respective field, said Tami Casey, an Intel spokeswoman.

Often considered the "junior Nobel Prize," the Intel STS challenges young scientists to look beyond the classroom and begin harnessing their true passion for science, often leading to ground-breaking, post-graduate level research. Past finalists in the program hold more than 100 of the world's most coveted science and math honors, including five Nobel Prizes.

"As I look at these exceptional finalists, I see promise for the future of scientific discovery in America and hope other students follow their example to pursue scientific excellence," said Craig Barrett, Intel chief executive officer. "The decline in the production of technically skilled workers is an area of concern for Intel and our nation."

The National Science Foundation recently issued a warning on the shrinking science and engineering workforce and America's long-term need for workers with these skills, which are key drivers of the U.S. economic engine. The Intel STS encourages and rewards excellence in science and math, and inspires young people to pursue science in their secondary education and careers.