Intel International Science Fair

05-21-2008

The Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) was held May 11-17, 2008 in Atlanta, Georgia. The Intel ISEF is open to students in grades 9-12. During this event, more than 1,500 high school students from over 40 countries competed for almost $4 million in prizes. Awards included scholarships, summer internships, book and equipment grants, and scientific field trips. With participants from all over the globe, Tippecanoe County was pleased to have a winner.

Russell Conard, a Harrison High School student won $8,000 in scholarship money and a $1,000 grant for Harrison. Conard won the Purdue regional science fair in March giving him the opportunity to compete internationally. Conard's project, "Isolation of the Role of Earthworms in the Chemical Alteration Trajectory of Lignin in Old and Young Forest Systems," was developed from his research work with Harrison and Purdue University.

Purdue Computer Science remains supportive of the Intel ISEF. Prof. Ahmed Elmagarmid attended the 2008 fair as a special awards judge for the Department of Homeland Security. Elmagarmid was ""impressed by the depth and breadth of knowledge the young students had, their energy levels and excitement. I felt I was truly in front of the next generation leaders in Science and Engineering."

The Intel ISEF is the largest pre-college science competition worldwide. The Society for Science and the Public along with other corporate sponsors partner with Intel on the event. The Society for Science and the Public is an organization dedicated to informing, educating, and inspiring the public to get involved in scientific research and education.