Intel Science Competition Winners Invited to State of the Union Address

by Marco Chiappetta — Wednesday, January 27, 2010, 03:11 PM EDT

Intel Science Competition Winners Invited to State of the Union Address

Bright Young Scientists to Sit with First Lady

At tonight’s State of the Union address, President and Mrs. Obama will host two of the nation's brightest young scientific minds – one a winner of the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair 2009 and the other a top finalist in the Intel Science Talent Search 2009; both competitions are programs of Society for Science & the Public.
These young scientists are being singled out for their early achievements and their place among the nation's next generation of leaders who will solve the problems of tomorrow.

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Jan. 27, 2010 – Two young scientists – one a winner of the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair 2009 and the other a top finalist in the Intel Science Talent Search 2009, both programs of Society for Science & the Public – are being recognized by the White House for their scientific achievements and will sit with Michelle Obama at tonight's State of the Union address.

Li Boynton, a high school senior from Houston, was one of the top three winners in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair 2009 and is a semifinalist in the Intel Science Talent Search 2010. Gabriela Farfan of Madison, Wis., currently a freshman at Stanford University, earned 10th place at the Intel Science Talent Search 2009. Prior to attending the State of the Union address, Li and Gabriela will meet with Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education, and John Holdren, Science and Technology advisor to the president.

Intel Corporation shares President Obama's belief that scientists should be regarded as role models, just as athletes and entertainers are, and that innovation and education are key to a successful future.

At 4 p.m. EST today, Intel – a partner in President Obama's "Educate to Innovate" campaign – and Society for Science & the Public will name 40 high school seniors as finalists in the Intel Science Talent Search 2010, America's oldest and most prestigious pre-college science competition. The finalists will gather in Washington, D.C. from March 11-16 to compete for $630,000 in awards. The top winner will receive $100,000 from the Intel Foundation.

Tags: Intel, Obama, Science, competition, president, state of the union

Marco Chiappetta

Marco's interest in computing and technology dates all the way back to his early childhood. Even before being exposed to the Commodore P.E.T. and later the Commodore 64 in the early ‘80s, he was interested in electricity and electronics, and he still has the modded AFX cars and shop-worn soldering irons to prove it. Once he got his hands on his own Commodore 64, however, computing became Marco's passion. Throughout his academic and professional lives, Marco has worked with virtually every major platform from the TRS-80 and Amiga, to today's high end, multi-core servers. Over the years, he has worked in many fields related to technology and computing, including system design, assembly and sales, professional quality assurance testing, and technical writing. In addition to being the Managing Editor here at HotHardware for close to 15 years, Marco is also a freelance writer whose work has been published in a number of PC and technology related print publications and he is a regular fixture on HotHardware’s own Two and a Half Geeks webcast. - Contact: marco(at)hothardware(dot)com