2 Yorktown High School Students Named Intel Semifinalists

Benjamin Child, 17, was recognized for his project Solar Water Pasteurization for Use in Disaster Areas and Developing Nations.

Catherine Chung, 17, worked on A Novel Approach to a Low-Cost Solar Water Purification Device: Supplying Clean Drinking Water for Developing Countries.

Each receives a $1,000 award and $1,000 for their school.

The Intel Science Talent Search (Intel STS) is the nation’s most prestigious pre-college science competition. Alumni of STS have made extraordinary contributions to science and hold more than 100 of the world’s most coveted science and math honors, including the Nobel Prize and National Medal of Science.

Annually, students entering the Intel STS compete for more than $1.6 million in awards. Only 300 students are announced as semifinalists each year.

From this select pool, 40 finalists are then invited to Washington, DC in March to participate in final judging, display their work to the public, meet with notable scientists, and compete for three top awards of $150,000 each.