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TAMS students to represent UNT at state science fair
DENTON (UNT), Texas -- Three students from the Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science at the University of North Texas will participate in the ExxonMobil Texas Science and Engineering Fair April 5-7 in San Antonio. The academy, known as TAMS, is a two-year residential program at UNT that allows talented students to complete their freshman and sophomore years of college while earning their high school diplomas. Students enter TAMS after their sophomore year of high school, live in a UNT residence hall and attend UNT classes with college students. After two years, they graduate with 60 hours of college credit and the equivalent of a high school diploma. Amelia Lin and Monica Lu, both second-year TAMS students, and Ananth Ram, a first-year student, will show their research projects and compete for cash prizes and scholarships at the ExxonMobil fair. They qualified for placing at the Fort Worth Regional Science Fair in March. Lin received the regional fair's grand prize for her project, "Encapsulation of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes in Microgels." She conducted her research in the laboratory of Dr. Zhibing Hu, UNT professor of physics. She tested the properties of carbon nanotubes, or hollow cylinders of carbon atoms that are only a few nanometers in diameter and may be used in the future for drug delivery into individual human cells, targeted cancer treatment and other applications in the human body. A nanometer is one billionth of a meter. Lin was previously honored for her research when she was named a regional finalist in the 2006 Siemens Westinghouse Competition in Math, Science & Technology last fall and a semifinalist in the 2007 Intel Science Talent Search earlier this year. Both are nationally competitive competitions for high school student research in science, mathematics and engineering. By winning the grand prize at the Fort Worth Regional Science Fair, Lin qualified not only for the state science fair, but also for the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair 2007, which will include projects from students representing all 50 states and 47 countries, territories and regions. Lin, whose research project also placed first in the Engineering: Material Science category at the Fort Worth Regional Science Fair, received an all-expenses paid trip to attend the international science fair, which will be held in Albuquerque, N.M., May 13-19. Lin attended Shepton High School in Plano before entering TAMS in August 2005. At TAMS, she is an executive officer with Mu Alpha Theta, a math club. She also plays the clarinet in the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra Wind Symphony. Lin plans to major in physics or education after graduating from TAMS May 11. She has been accepted to both Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She plans a teaching and research career in the sciences. Lu placed first in her category, Behavioral Science, at the Fort Worth Regional Science Fair. She conducted her research project last summer at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School through the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Research Science Institute. Working in the Department of Psychiatry, she studied what happens in the brain during antisaccade, or suppression of automatic eye movement responses. Lu was also previously honored for her research when she was named a semifinalist in both the 2006 Siemens Westinghouse Competition in Math, Science & Technology and the 2007 Intel Science Talent Search. She is currently conducting research on neuronal cilia with Dr. Jannon Fuchs, UNT professor of biological sciences. Lu attended Jasper High School in Plano before entering TAMS in August 2005. She is a member of the TAMS Research Club. A National Merit finalist, Lu will attend Rice University or the University of Texas at Austin after graduating from TAMS in May. She plans to major in biology and eventually earn both a medical degree and a doctoral degree to combine a medical career with research. Ram qualified for the state science fair by placing second in his category, Computer Engineering, at the Fort Worth Regional Science Fair. He developed a computer model to determine the probability of specific populations, such as those of a certain age group or those in a certain city, catching a communicable disease. Ram conducted the research in the laboratory of Dr. Armin Mikler, UNT associate professor of computer science and engineering, and will continue it next fall. Ram attended Clark High School in Plano before entering TAMS last August. He is a member of Mu Alpha Theta, TAMS Research Club, Junior Engineering Technical Society and TAMS Art Club. Ram was a semifinalist in the 2006 Siemens Westinghouse Competition in Math, Science & Technology for another research project. In addition, he will spend six weeks this summer doing research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Research Science Institute. He plans to major in electrical engineering after graduating from TAMS in May 2008. He has not yet decided on a college or university.
UNT News Service Phone Number: (940) 565-2108
Contact: Nancy Kolsti (940) 565-3509
Email: nkolsti@unt.edu
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