2011 Scholars of Distinction

The Perpich Center hosted the awards ceremony on May 21 for the Scholars of Distinction, high school students who are highly motivated and self-directed. The Minnesota Department of Education recognized 43 scholars from across Minnesota that completed individual projects demonstrating mastery of a complex subject matter in the areas of science, Leadership, Mathematics, Social Studies and Theater Arts.

The following students were identified as 2011 Scholars of Distinction or honorable mention;

Science: Scholars of Distinction 

•  Ishmam Ahmed (dual award winner), Wayzata High School: Regulation of Sonic hedgehog expression and activity during differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells
• Evan Chen, Wayzata High School: CD24 induced muscular regeneration: Unraveling the mystery behind satellite cell differentiation 
• Elleanor Haeg, Breck School: TARGETING GENES IN SALMONELLA KENTUCKY ASSOCIATED WITH FOOD-BORN ILLNESSES
• Duligur Ibeling, Wayzata High School: SHAPE-MEMORY LIQUID-CRYSTALLINE POLYMERS WITH CHOLESTEROL MESOGEN
• Riya Madan, Century High School: Theiler’s Murine Encephalomyelitis Virus (TMEV) Based Model for Epilepsy
• Prithwis Kumar Mukhopadhyay (dual award winner), Woodbury High School: Distinct Cellular Signaling Mechanism of Carrageenan-Induced Premalignant Transformation of Mammary Epithelial Cells
• Partha Naidu,Woodbury High School: Integration of the J-aggregate of Pseudoisocyanine, 1, 1’-Diethyl-2, 2’-cyanine iodide, in a photovoltaic device 
• Jain Naveen, Woodbury High School: MECHANISM OF TUMOR SUPPRESSION BY CHD5: A STUDY OF THE PHD DOMAIN AND PARP-1
• Pakzad Paimon, Blake School: CHARACTERIZATON OF BENIGN NEVI AND MALIGNANT MELANOMAS USING SIGNATURE CURVES
• Bo Sun, Wayzata High School: Establishment of long-term cultures of newt cardiomyocytes as an in vitro model for heart regeneration.
• Roshny Vijayakar, Breck School: Has nuclear radiation fallout in Japan and the Chernobyl area altered plant response to UV-B radiation? A study of Arabidopsis thaliana response to UV-B
• Lawrence Wang, Wayzata High School: BILE ACIDS: POTENT AGENTS FOR IMPROVING KIDNEY CRYOPRESERVATION

Science: Meritorious Performance

• David Fuad, Breck School: PREVENTING MICROALGAE (CHLAMYDOMONAS REINHARDTII) BUILD-UP IN PHOTOBIOREACTORS FOR BIOFUEL PRODUCTION EFFICIENCY
• Matthew Hackner, Breck School: Improving efficiency of organic solar cells through fluorescence quenching of poly--‐3--‐hexylthiophene
• Cara Kowalchyk, Breck School: INVESTIGATING USE OF PSEUDOMONAS PUTIDA FU1 TO CLEAN UP TOXIC FURAN AGRICULTURAL BYPRODUCTS IN SOIL TO PREVENT RUNOFF IN WATER SUPPLIES
• Michael Portu, Breck School: LOADING FORCES EXPERIENCED BY HEART DURING HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC IMPACTS
• Alex Spencer, Wayzata High School: An Exploration of Magnetism in Thin Film Strained LaCoO3
• Andrew Ylitalo, Stillwater Area High School: Windows of the Future: Saving Energy Year-Round
• Jeff Zhang, Wayzata High School: The effect of microRNAregulated knockdown of Disrupted-in-Schizophrenia 1 (DISC1) gene on neural synapse formation

Mathematics: Scholars of Distinction

• Ishmam Ahmed (dual award winner), Wayzata High School: Regulation of Sonic hedgehog expression and activity during differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells
• Samarth Damania, Breck School: COMPUTER ANALYSIS OF PLAYER AND TEAM PERFORMANCE IN PROFESSIONAL HALO 3
• Caleb Kumar, Breck School: Designing a JAVA Program to Diagnose Bladder Cancer
• Cheenar Banerjee, Century High School: Artificial Emotion : A Novel Way of Emotion Recognition for Affective Computing
• Prithwis Kumar Mukhopadhyay (dual award winner) Woodbury High School: Distinct Cellular Signaling Mechanism of Carrageenan-Induced Premalignant Transformation of Mammary Epithelial Cells

Scholars of Distinction:  Leadership

• Addison Weiler, Breck School

Leadership: Meritorious Performance

• William Sperduto, Orono High School: THATCH, Self-Discovery and Leadership

Social Studies: Scholars of Distinction 

• Max Berman, Breck School: History Focus: Highway 55 Past, Present, and Future
• Amos Asher Gewirtz, Henry Sibley High School: History Focus: Who Owns Culture?: A Study of the Elgin Marbles
• Jillian Husband, Breck School: Geography Focus: Old Shakopee Road: The Struggle to Stay Relevant
• Margit Westerman, Breck School: Geography Focus: Old Shakopee Road: The Struggle to Stay Relevant

Social Studies: Meritorious Performance

• Jayda Koland, Breck School: Geography Focus: Highway 12 1850-1900
• Mayyadda Major, Breck School: Geography Focus: West Broadway 1950-1970
• William Smith, Breck School: Geography Focus: Excelsior Boulevard

Theater Arts: Scholars of Distinction

• David Freeman, Main Street School of Performing Arts (Hopkins School District): Acting -  Actor, Auteur, Entrepreneur
• Sophie Bossart, Perpich Center for Arts Education: Playwriting - Drama of the Written Word
• Charles Haumersen, The Academy of Holy Angels: Acting - A Man for All Theater Seasons
•  Anna Hashizume, Wayzata High School: Acting/Musical Theater - Notable Women: Hitting Just the Right Note
• Jennifer Kuberka, Blaine Senior High: Design/Technical Theater - The Art of Theater Design
• Dan Piering, Wayzata High School: Acting/Musical Theater - Music, Magic, and Morality in Theater
• Trevor Larson, Moorhead High School: Acting - Versatility and Virtuosity in Theater
• Amanda Taylor, Eastview Senior High: Acting - Women of Character

Theater Arts:  Meritorious Performance

• Haley Kurr, Wayzata High School: Acting/Musical Theater - Voices of Women
• Elizabeth Wigley, Breck School: Acting/Musical Theater -  All the World's a Stage