6 Bay Area students named Intel finalists

[xrCalico23]

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I know a kid who had participated in the last years Intel STS. I would agree with Lateparty. There were several kids who does not really know the essence of what he/she was presenting.

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<p>Was he/she a finalist such that he was required to present? An Intel STS participant, possibly, since I’m sure there are those out there who never came up with the idea of their research themselves and never fully understood the material, but mere participants wouldn’t be presenting, and I would be very surprised if those who were selected as finalists to present don’t understand the material.</p>

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Re: “The Asian thing”. Yes. Asian parents often are first gen immigrants who happens to be scientists or engineers. Like “Tiger Mom” of the world, they are pushing their kids hard.

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<p>Many first generation immigrant parents are scientists and engineers, allowing easier access for their kids to labs and resources, but what’s the evidence that all of the kids were “pushed hard” into going into labs instead of it being the students’ own initiative? </p>

<p>My former, rural public high school had a wonderful, growing science research program (though definitely not to the level such that many of us won any awards) thanks to the effort of two science teachers. The process was about the same as what mathmom described: for the first semester sophomores read writings of interest from magazines like Scientific American, then as soon as they are ready, usually by second semester, they move on to actual journal articles and past research papers that are relevant to their interest. Yes, some journal articles were difficult to understand, but by the time one actually starts any sort of project, he would’ve read at least two 2-inch binders full of actual research publications.</p>

<p>And you know what, even though we had the very useful research program that actually prepares students for pursuing and presenting their own research while in high school, few took advantage of it, at least back in my days, because many saw the class as too much work, didn’t believe that they were capable of doing their own research, or didn’t want to waste their valuable free time reading dry, boring journal articles.</p>

<p>Yes, those finalists most likely had had advantages that normal high school students never had, but it still remains that all of them are supremely intelligent, creative, and self motivated individuals, worked awfully hard, and completely deserve the recognition they receive. </p>

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Pigeon poop on gas station roof = potential Intel science project for the future.

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<p>I knew someone whose project was to test whether adding different scents and fragrances to a bookstore increases the amount of time customers spend shopping, and she carried out the experiment at an everyday book store. Who says something like the durability of gas station roof wouldn’t make a good project? After all, I was just talking to a friend about her having to clear the snow out of the roof of their barns every time it snows so that the roofs wouldn’t collapse, something that had already happened to some of their neighbor’s barns.</p>

[xrCalico23]

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I maintain that it’s a shame that the Intel insists to announce the semi- and finalists before May 1st, and continues to contribute to the obvious gamesmanship and packaging of college applicants.

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<p>They already announce it after the applications are already sent in and possibly done being reviewed. Your suggestion seems a great idea, except if they announce the finalists after May 1st, there wouldn’t be enough time before summer for the later presenting and judging process that usually takes place on college campuses. Having the final presentations in late summer when many college offices are already closed can pose yet another hassel, and many high school grads have plans for the summer before college.</p>

[MrMeursault]

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@Cardinal Fang

Young Evan O’Dorney goes from strength to strength. He won the Scripps Spelling Bee, he’s a top, top math student who got top score on USAMO. And now an Intel finalist.

Wenyu Cao placed second at IMO, got a silver medal in IOI and is an Intel finalist. Even the most talented CCers can’t compare haha.</p>

[CountingDown]

<p>Xiggi, I do not know if Intel or Siemens track what happens to semifinalists. They do keep in touch with finalists.</p>

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I maintain that it’s a shame that the Intel insists to announce the semi- and finalists before May 1st, and continues to contribute to the obvious gamesmanship and packaging of college applicants.

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<p>The gamesmanship goes both ways, Xiggi. I am aware of a couple of different situations in which an Intel finalist was denied to an Ivy – it was yield management. Intel asks students what their two top choice schools are and uses that in publicly distributed material. Schools read those profiles and take note. The astute students don’t reveal preferences (esp. since Intel asks for that information in November of senior year).</p>

[kxc1961]

<p>In answering the question from Post #21: Yes, some finalists can only answer very shallow questions. When being asked questions at deeper level, some of them seems to be lost and have no clue. I have to agree that these kids are smart and diligent. They have given up sleep, time for gossip and some even cut short their facebook time for activities like this. I commend their efforts. However, in some cases, some of these kids (or more precisely, their parents) are gaming the system.
I agree with post #24. Yes, some schools, like Yale, will (and did) reject Intel STS finalist. The only reason I can think of is to protect their yield. The girl I know got into all schools applied with the exception of Yale. Her list of application is, essentially top 15 schools of the world.</p>