DURHAM - The top senior at Jordan High School was named a finalist Wednesday in the national science competition widely regarded as the "junior Nobel Prize."

Shivani Sud, 17, is one of 40 finalists in the Intel Science Talent Search, in which gifted high schoolers present research projects and vie for a top prize of a $100,000 scholarship to the college of their choice.

Shivani and the other finalists will spend a week in Washington in March, meeting international scholars and presenting their work.

The teenager found out about the honor Tuesday night, said her mother, Anu Sud. As Shivani spoke to an Intel representative on the phone, she high-fived her mother with excitement, then hung up the phone and celebrated for five minutes before returning to her room for homework, her mother said.

Shivani Sud's advanced work in investigating cancer treatments has caught attention locally and nationally for several years.

"She has been on target ever since she has been in school," said Minnie Forte-Brown, chairwoman of the Durham school board. "She has won every award, and has been so focused on her science and her gift. I am so proud of her."

For making it to the final round, Shivani will receive at least $5,000 in scholarships and a laptop computer, which comes with good timing as the high schooler's current laptop is old, her mother said.

Shivani began her research years ago, in labs at Temple and Duke universities and the National Institutes of Health. Her most recent project uses genetic information to predict recurrence in colon cancer patients who already have been treated, and to identify the most effective drugs for those patients.

"It's in her heart to work on cancer," Anu Sud said of her daughter. "She really wants to find a cure for it."

Shivani became interested in cancer research as a child, when it was discovered that a family member had a brain tumor.

In addition to taking several national and international honors for science, she has participated in other work, such as volunteering at the Durham Rescue Mission homeless shelter and learning classical Indian dance.

Two years ago, Shivani was selected for the U.S. Senate Youth Program, which earned her a trip to Washington to learn about the federal government.