|
|
Siemens finalist
Ward Melville students wins regional leg of national contest
|
| | 
|  |
| |  | | 
| | | Ruoyi Jiang (click for larger version) | |
November 24, 2009 | 03:22 PM
Ruoyi Jiang, a senior at Ward Melville High School, has received the highest honors at the Region Four Finals of the 2009 Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology, the nation's premier high school science competition. Jiang won the individual category and a $3,000 college scholarship for his biophysics project that investigated the molecular basis of a prominent mechanism of chemotherapy drug resistance.
"Roy has been a very hard worker, very interested in his research and deserving of his recognition by the Siemens Foundation," said Dr. George Baldo, director of the InSTAR program at the high school. "He seems to have a real passion for his research."
The winners in the six regional finals will be invited to compete at the National Finals in New York City on Dec. 3 through 7, where they will vie for scholarships ranging from $10,000 to the top prize of $100,000.
The students presented their research this past weekend to a panel of judges from Carnegie Mellon University, host of the Siemens Competition Region Four Finals.
Jiang's project, titled Targeting Loop Dynamics in Beta I/Beta III Isotype Tubulin: The Application of In Silico Techniques in Combating Chemotherapy Drug Resistance, uses state-of-the-art computational techniques to develop a molecular understanding of how Taxol functions to kill tumor cells.
"Mr. Jiang's results allowed him to predict the long-range effects of drug binding on the structure of that protein," said Dr. Gordon Rule, professor in the Department of Biological Science at Carnegie Mellon University. "The technique was validated using Taxol, showing that his computational results are consistent with experimental data. These results suggest that this method may have an important contribution in the development of a new class of pharmaceuticals."
Jiang has placed at a variety of science competitions including the National Science Bowl. Jiang received an Honorable Mention in the Toshiba ExploraVision Competition as well as recognition for his involvement in the Science Olympiad. He is editor of his school newspaper, Kaleidoscope, and a member of the Science Bowl team. His favorite subject is AP Physics.
Jiang hopes to become a research lab director upon completion of his studies. In addition to his academic accomplishments, he spends his free time doing volunteer work at Stony Brook University Hospital. He enjoys playing the violin and tennis and loves to draw. He also speaks fluent Mandarin. Jiang worked on this project with his mentor, Dr. Carlos Simmerling, professor of chemistry in the Department of Chemistry at Stony Brook University.
| |
|
|
|
| |
Copyright 2010
(631) 751-7744 | news@tbrnewspapers.com | www.northshoreoflongisland.com | About |
|
| |
|
