Rhode Island, New Jersey and Virginia High School Scientists Win Regional Siemens Competition at Georgia Institute of Technology for Research Solving an Open Math Problem and the Discovery of a Pharmaceutical Solution to Broad Spectrum Antibiotic Resistance

Months of dedication and hard work in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) paid off tonight for four students named National Finalists in the Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology, the nation’s premier research competition for high school students. Joseph Zurier of Providence, R.I. earned the top honors and a $3,000 individual scholarship for research that solved an open math problem. Research supporting the discovery of a pharmaceutical solution to broad spectrum antibiotic resistance earned Jason Lee and Allen Lee of Short Hills, N.J. and David Lu of Henrico, Va. the $6,000 team scholarship.

Joseph Zurier is the individual category winner of the Siemens Competition regional event held at Georgia Institute of Technology. He advances to the National Finals in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Business Wire)

The students presented their research this weekend to a panel of judges from Georgia Institute of Technology, host of the Region Six Finals. They will now present their work on a national stage in Washington, D.C., December 5-9, 2014, where $500,000 in scholarships will be awarded, including two top prizes of $100,000. The Siemens Competition, a signature program of the Siemens Foundation, is administered by Discovery Education.

“These incredible students have invested significant time and energy to advance research and exploration in critical fields,” said David Etzwiler, CEO of the Siemens Foundation. “I commend the finalists for their outstanding achievements and wish them luck in the next phase of the competition.”

The Winning Individual

Joseph Zurier, a senior at Classical High School in Providence, R.I., won the individual category and a $3,000 scholarship for his project, titled "Generalizations of the Joints Problem."

Joseph solved an open problem in counting the number of intersections of lines and planes in space, improving on previous results. One of Joseph's main outcomes was to show that, in a mathematically precise sense, a certain number of lines cannot create too many joints. This will have implications for digital image processing both in general computer science and medical imaging.

"The approach that Joseph took is very novel and elegant – an overall smart idea. There is great potential for applications in computer science and the medical domain," explained Dr. Eva K. Lee, professor in the H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering and director of the Center for Operations Research in Medicine and HealthCare at Georgia Institute of Technology. "His work is remarkable and beautiful. The quality of his work is at least at the doctorate level; this is not something a high school student would normally be able to address."

Joseph leads his school’s math team, is captain of the state American Regions Mathematics League (ARML), speaks two languages, is an avid runner and plays tennis. He has also been named a PROMYS junior counselor for this upcoming summer and looks forward to giving back to the community there. Math is Joseph’s favorite subject because of its creativity, and because math is philosophically universal. His father helped to foster Joseph’s love of math and science at a young age by teaching him math problems and tricks.

“I like science because of its ability to improve the human condition – we've advanced tremendously in just centuries, decades even, on the back of technology.”

Joseph’s mentor is Ben Yang, a Ph.D. student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

The Winning Team

Jason Lee and Allen Lee, juniors at Millburn High School in Millburn, N.J., and David Lu, a junior at Mills E. Godwin High School in Henrico, Va., won the team category and will share a $6,000 scholarship for their project, titled “Identification of compounds to overcome carbapenemase-related multidrug resistance in Enterobacteriaceae.”

Jason, Allen, and David discovered prospective new drug targets for killing antibiotic resistant bacteria. The team blended state-of-the-art computer screenings and lab-based validations, with potential implications for combating a major and growing challenge to human health. The project was multi-faceted and demonstrated knowledge and techniques as diverse as complex bio-informatics and lab-based molecular biology, to specifically target broad spectrum antibiotic resistance. This research targets some of the most serious bacterial infections posing major health threats in the U.S.

“These students were able to take a grass-roots approach to design and test new solutions for drug discovery,” explained Frank Stewart, assistant professor, School of Biology at Georgia Institute of Technology. “This was PhD-caliber work. The judges were extremely impressed by the depth of this team’s expertise and the potential broad applicability of their results to medical science.”

Jason is a tutor in math and science, speaks two languages, and has taken seven advanced STEM courses. He also plays tennis, is in the chess club, participates in Lincoln-Douglas debates, and enjoys computer science. A visit to his father’s lab in first grade is what initially piqued Jason’s interest in science.

“It amazes me how fast STEM subjects are developing right now,” said Jason Lee. “Every day, there are new, exciting innovations such as stem cells and promising materials like graphene.”

Allen, Jason’s twin brother, tutors in math and science, also speaks two languages, and has taken several advanced STEM courses. He participates in his school’s Public Forum Debate, enjoys tennis and golf, and plays the piano. Biology is Allen’s favorite subject because it exemplifies the intricacies and mysteries of life. When he was young, Allen stumbled upon an old biology textbook in the library, and was immediately fascinated by the pictures of cells and the biological processes that he saw.

David speaks three languages, tutors and mentors younger students, plays the piano and tennis, is founder and president of the Kid-Motion Foundation, and is on the robotics and debate teams. His favorite subjects are genetics and biotechnology because they enable the discovery of how diseases work and how we can better fight them, while also providing clues to evolution, developmental biology, and pharmacology. David’s interest in STEM was first piqued in the seventh grade, when he was assigned his first scientific research project.

“Whether it’s using computer science to solve biology problems or physics concepts to answer environmental questions, inter-disciplinary research is taking the world by storm and I'm excited to see what scientific discoveries will come of it,” said David Lu.

Jason, Allen, and David’s shared mentor is Dave Durrant, Ph.D. candidate at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va.

Regional Finalists

The remaining Regional Finalists each received a $1,000 scholarship. Regional Finalists in the individual category were:

• Carly Crump, Episcopal School - Jacksonville, Jacksonville, Fla.
• Elizabeth Donoway, Pine Crest School, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
• Noah Golowich, Lexington High School, Lexington, Mass.
• Jenny Wang, North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, Durham, N.C.

Team Regional Finalists were:

• Jesse Cai, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Alexandria, Va.; Matthew Yu, Montgomery Blair High School, Silver Spring, Md.
• Kristen Surrao, Lakeside High School, Evans, Ga.; William Wu, Lakeside High School, Evans, Ga.
• Yifei Wang, East Chapel Hill High School, Chapel Hill, N.C.; Sabina Iftikhar, East Chapel Hill High School, Chapel Hill, N.C.
• Michael You, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Alexandria, Va.; Andrew Charbonneau, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Alexandria, Va.

The Siemens Competition

This year marks the 15th Anniversary of the Siemens Competition, the nation’s premier research competition for high school students. A record 4,428 students registered for this year’s competition and submitted a total of 1,784 projects for consideration – a 12% increase over the number of projects submitted last year. 408 students were named semifinalists and 97 were named regional finalists, representing 38 states. Entries are judged at the regional level by esteemed scientists from six leading research universities which host the regional competitions: California Institute of Technology, Carnegie Mellon University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Notre Dame and The University of Texas at Austin.

For news and announcements about the Regional Competitions and the National Finals, follow us on Twitter @SFoundation (#SiemensComp) and like us on Facebook at SiemensFoundation.

About the Siemens Foundation

The Siemens Foundation supports educational initiatives in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in the United States. Its signature programs include the Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology and Siemens Science Day. The Foundation’s mission is based on the culture of innovation, research and educational support that is the hallmark of Siemens’ U.S. companies. For further information, visit www.siemens-foundation.org or follow @sfoundation.

About Discovery Education

Discovery Education is the global leader in standards-based digital content and professional development for K-12, transforming teaching and learning with award-winning digital textbooks, multimedia content that supports the implementation of Common Core, professional development, assessment tools, and the largest professional learning community of its kind. Available in over half of all U.S. schools and primary schools in England, community colleges and in 50 countries around the world, Discovery Education partners with districts, states and like-minded organizations to captivate students, empower teachers, and transform classrooms with customized solutions that accelerate academic achievement. Discovery Education is powered by Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK), the number one nonfiction media company in the world. Explore the future of education at www.discoveryeducation.com.

Photos of winners available on request.

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