(October 24, 2007) Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-34) congratulates Catherine Soto, a ninth-grade student at Francisco Bravo Medical Magnet High School in Boyle Heights, for her participation as a national finalist in the Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge. After winning the state science fair last year while a student at the Hollenbeck Middle School Math, Science, Technology Magnet in Boyle Heights, Catherine was invited to enter the Discovery Channel competition which included an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C. for her and her mother, Lorena Soto, both of Boyle Heights. Catherine was among 40 national finalists from 44 states – three from CA – to take part in the prestigious competition.

Catherine’s project addressed the following question, "How does living with a smoker affect lung functions in children (ages 12-14) throughout the four seasons of the year?" On the Discovery Channel web site, Catherine’s project is described as follows: "Studies have linked breathing problems to chronic exposure to second-hand smoke. Catherine hypothesized that students exposed to tobacco smoke in their homes would experience more compromised lung function than children who didn’t live with a smoker. Using a machine that measures lung function when a person breathes into it, Catherine recorded the forced expiration of 108 randomly selected middle school students four times over a nine-month span. The students also completed a survey about smoking in their homes and other factors that might influence their breathing, such as asthma, height, weight, age and gender. Students exposed to second-hand smoke in the home showed increasing impairment of their lung function as the seasons moved from summer to the following spring. Students not living with a smoker showed no change."

As for Catherine’s future ambitions, the 14 year old said her personal experience having asthma inspired her to undertake the project and to one day become a pediatrician. Catherine said she is particularly grateful to her science advisor in middle school, Larry Simonsen, who guided her through the project, and Discovery Channel for making the experience possible.

More information about the winners, participants and the competition can be found at http://school.discoveryeducation.com/sciencefaircentral/ and "Young Scientist Challenge."

Pictured in the first above photo: Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard, who represents Boyle Heights, discusses the competition with Catherine. Pictured in the second photo from left to right: Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard; Catherine Soto; Lorena Soto (Catherine’s mother); and Sandra Fulton of Discovery Communications.