Three Hewlett High School students recently won first place in the Plant Science category at the 2013 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Phoenix, the company announced Friday.
Samantha DiSalvo, Ryan Kenny and Amy Vitha earned the top spot in their category with their project, “The Characterization of the LPS-Induced Hypersensitive Response inCeratopteris richardii,” which studied how parts of bacteria can induce cell death. Their research can lead to development of plants with greater resistance to bacterial pathogens.
The project also won The Philip V. Streich Memorial Award, netting the students the opportunity to attend the London International Youth Science Forum, an annual program for 300 young scientists from more than 50 countries. As first place winners, the students may also have asteroids named after them by the MIT Lincoln Laboratory.
About 1,600 young scientists were chosen to compete this year in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, the world’s largest high school science research competition, according to Intel. They were selected from 433 affiliate fairs in more than 70 countries, regions and territories.
The Hewlett students, representing the Long Island region, received a $5,000 prize for their work, and the Intel Foundation also awarded a $1,000 grant to the high school.
DiSalvo, Kenny and Vitha conducted their research at the high school under the mentorship of Dr. Terrence Bissoondial.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
