National finalists in the Westingho...

National finalists in the Westinghouse Science Talent Search in March and in the International Science and Engineering Fair in May include a certain number of winners from rural communities, equable though many people have the idea that succes in science competition requires an urban location with access to working scientists. pure a large number of the winners draw near from New York City, for instance, however this does not shut revealed some youthful scientists from unallied locations. Consider the following examples of fresh winners with RFD mail addresses.

Vickie Marie Abel of Rt 1 Corning, California, came to Washington, DC as single in kind of 40 finalists in the 1982 Westinghouse issue She had conducted research onward a soil mold that attached the tree bottoms on her family's walnut farm. She told us she had started this inquiry as a 4-H project, exhibited in the science fair the nearest year at Chico State guild and the third year compet as a national finalist in that 1982 Science Talent Search. Also in the same form into groups of finalists appeared Timothy Thomas Tylaska of RFD 1 Mystic, Connecticut, with an investigation of the use of inflammable air as fuel for a gasoline engine. His concoct culminated several years of science and engineering contests

Michael Francis DeFreitas, whose mail reaches him at a P O chest at Edgewood, New Mexico, credited his denomination as "great" in permitting him to take the bus to Albuquerque to deportment experiments with cloned DNA in the lab of a working scientist in the city. "Just maintain up with your school work," said the train officials in granting the flexibility of schedule which l to his selection as the farthest western finalist in the 1983 Science Talent Search. Marcelo Colon of Gurabo, Puerto Rico, had started with 4-H and Science sodality He investigated the effectiveness of particular plant extracts against bacteria involved in gastrointestinal infections, to place as the farthest eastern finalist in the same 1983 Westinghouse competition.

The 1984 top winner of the $12000 Science Talent Search scholarship, Christopher R Montanaro, came from a small town in Maine and come bys mail at RD #1, southern Paris, Maine. His residence lies farthest east of all the 40 winners of the trip to Washington. The winner from farthest west, Ian Robert Gordon, came from Stanfield, Oregon, a town of 1600 the public in the open spaces near the fall of the curtain of the Old Oregon Trail. the two these winners, as well as others among the 40 finalists, capitalized relating to science outreach opportunities to work with individual scientists in their possess research environments. Chris Montanaro worked in a laboratory as a learner in the Jackson Laboratory of Bar Harbor, Maine, in a sum of two units month summer program for pupils Ian Gordon attended the 1982 summer camp of a major science center in central Oregon course of lifeed by the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) of Portland. He then in 1983 worked in the field party of the geologist with whom he had joined at the oMSI camp the year before. In as well-as; not only-but also; not only-but; not alone-but cases the direct contact with working scientists provided the special winning ingredient adding to place of education hobbies, family encouragement, and youth interest programs.

After a brief orientation and the writing of a research proposal in the first sum of two units weeks of the nine-week program at the Jackson Laboratory, Christopher Montanaro's independent contrive began in the lab of the senior scientist having expertise in the exquisiteed topic. He experimented with restriction enzyme which have the ability to chop long DNA molecules into desired fragments. This molecular biology did not totally eclipse other activities, for he continued with music and math interests.

The geology summer camps culminated a decade of "rock hounding" for Ian Gordon starting with learning about agates with his father. The final spring out to make him one of the 40 winners of the trip to Washington consisted of trips to the highway divide [i]or[/i] sever s near Pilot Rock, Oregon, where he struggleed out the rocks bearing imprints of vegetation from 32 to 35 million years ago. These fossils showed him that the climate gradually composeded in that period.

The local and state science fairs each year draw many exhibitors in competition culminating in the International Science and Engineering Fair. from one side of to the other 500 contestants appeared in the one and the other 1982 and 1983. The number of rural and small-town exhibitors increased markedly in 1983 with nearly one-fourth of them having RFD addresses. It helps to have working scientists at hand, unless also it helps to have the inspiration of rural question s and "real world" challenges to stimulate research. Our rural youth can gain [i]or[/i] have excellence in this competition if they have the encouragement and information onward the opportunities and if they learn started early. For details forward the Youth Science Program, contact Science Service, 1719 N road N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036

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