N.C. SCHOOL OF SCIENCE AND MATHMATICS
N.C. semifinalists include Vipul Vachharajani of Clemmons, left, and Suqi Huang of Cary.
The Intel Science Talent Search is one of the nation's most prestigious pre-college science competitions. Alumni of Intel STS hold more than 100 of the world's most coveted science and math honors, including seven Nobel Prizes and four National Medals of Science.
The Intel STS recognizes 300 students and their schools as semifinalists each year. In 2012, 1,839 applicants compete for $1.25 million in awards.
The competition drew national attention this month when it was learned one of the semifinalists, Samantha Garvey of Long Island, N.Y., and her family had been living in a shelter after being evicted from their home on New Year's Eve. (The Suffolk County Department of Social Services quickly found a home the Garveys could live in.)
Semifinalists came from 29 states, plus the Taipei American School. The greatest number are from New York (with 105), California (40), Maryland (18), Texas (15), Virginia (13) and North Carolina (10).
While none of the N.C. students are among the 40 of the 300 who were chosen last week to go on to the finals, to be held in Washington in March, they are clearly scholars to watch.
The N.C. School of Science and Mathematics, in Durham, was well-represented, with seven finalists:
Mia de los Reyes, 17, of Cary; Alyssa Ferris, 16, of Winston-Salem; Suqi Huang, 17, of Cary; Pranav Maddi, 17, of Charlotte; Ada Taylor, 17, of Durham; Vipul Vachharajani, 17, of Clemmons; and Lisa Zheng, 17, of Mooresville.
Also from North Carolina:
Ivan Kuznetsov, 17, William G. Enloe High School, Raleigh.
Edgar Ferrer-Lorenzo, 17, East Chapel Hill High School, Chapel Hill.
Thomas Lu, 17, The Early College at Guilford, Greensboro.
