2 CB West Students Among Siemens Competition Semifinalists

Two Central Bucks West students are among approximately 400 semifinalists in the prestigious Siemens Competition. The Siemens Competition is the nation’s premier competition in math, science and technology for high school students, according to information from the Central Bucks School District.

The local semifinalists are Nathaniel and William Watkins.

They were selected from more than 1,600 students who submitted innovative individual and team research projects. Their project, entitled The Photocatalytic Properties of Cubic Nanostructures of Noble Metals, focused on the catalytic properties of cubic nanoframes.

Judging is underway to determine who will go on to compete in the six regional finals during November.

Individual and team winners from the regional competitions will advance to the final phase of the contest, which will be held in December in Washington, DC.

Competitors are vying for up to $100,000 in scholarships.

Nathaniel and William were mentored by Svetlana Neretina, Robert Hughes, and Maryam Hajfathalian of Temple University. Their local research adviser was Mark Hayden, the Adviser of the Science Research Club at Central Bucks High School West.

“These semi-finalists should be extremely proud of this high-level academic accomplishment,” said David Etzwiler, CEO of the Siemens Foundation. “Their projects represent some of the most noteworthy and exceptional of those submitted and reflected an advanced level of STEM research.”