AKINSO: A Texas high school senior has won the first-ever National Institute of Drug Abuse Scholastic Addiction Science Award. The student, Kapil Ramachandran, received top honors in the new Addiction Science category at the Intel International Science and Engineer Fair, the world’s largest science competition for high school students. The young winning scientist determined that when a specific protein is deleted in fruit flies, the flies may lose their tolerance to alcohol. Dr. Nora Volkow, the Director of NIDA, discusses the possible impact that this fair may have on high school students.

VOLKOW: This highlights the importance of science and how to educate and make science accessible to high school students. Because it is there that we have an opportunity to engage them in choosing a career that is devoted to science research and that is devoted to health related aspects. 

AKINSO: This year, nearly 1500 students from more than 40 countries competed in the competition, which took place in Atlanta, Georgia.  Winners of the Addiction Science Award received cash awards in a ceremony, with a $2,500 scholarship provided by Scholastic for the first place honoree. This is Wally Akinso at the National Institutes of Health Bethesda, Maryland.