Indian American wins prestigious Siemens scholarship

Tuesday, 05 December 2006, 18:30 IST
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New York: An Indian American student from Long Islands has shared a $30,000 annual scholarship sponsored by Siemens, the German electronics conglomerate. Vijay Jain, a senior at Herricks High School in New Hyde Park, New York and Jinju Yi, a senior at Plainview-Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy High School, New York shared the scholarship for fourth-place in the team category for their unique project in creating a biosensor, which uses molecular-imprinting technology to detect viruses and cancer at their earliest stages. The Siemens competition in math, science and technology is a signature programme of the Siemens Foundation, which provides nearly $2 million in scholarships and awards annually. Both Jain and Yi said they decided this summer to work together."We became close friends," said Jain. "We both knew we wanted to work together," added Yi. They merged divergent interests: Yi was focused on cancer-related research, while Jain was drawn to fighting bioterrorism. "We found detection technology would definitely be the strongest link," said Jain, according to Newsday newspaper. More than 1,600 students entered the competition, from which 345 semi-finalists were named, including 89 from New York. Six regional finals were held around the country, producing the 20 national finalists. Richard Quan, Herricks High's science research teacher, said he was proud as he watched the project move from "idea, to theory, to practical protoype." Of Yi and Jain, he added, "This is only the beginning."
Source: IANS