Staples Student “Surprised and Happy” to be Named Intel Semifinalist

Shane Mulligan: Wins $1,000 and chance for more. Contributed photoA 17-year-old senior at Westport’s Staples High School said today he was “surprised and happy” to be named a semifinalist in a prestigious national science talent competition sponsored by Intel Corp.

Shane Mulligan said he learned Wednesday that he was one of 300 national semifinalists in the Intel Science Talent search.

“I knew it was being announced, but still I was surprised and happy to hear the positive news,” he said.

Shane, who was a regional semifinalist last fall in the equally prestigious Siemens-Westinghouse Science Competition, was one of three semifinalists from Connecticut.

He will receive a $1,000 scholarship and Staples will also receive $1,000 to enhance its math and science program.

At Staples, he studies under Dr. A J Scheetz who established a three-year science research course at the high school soon after joining the Westport school district in 2001.

More than 100 top scientists from a variety of disciplines will now review and judge the semifinalists entries and examine each individual’s research ability, scientific originality and creative thinking.

On Jan. 26 they will announce 40 finalists who will take an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C. to attend the Science Talent Institute where they will participate in final judging and compete for college scholarships totaling more than $500,000.

The winners will be selected based on rigorous judging sessions and announced at a black-tie banquet on March 15.

ShaneҒs project in the Intel program is the same as in the Siemens program. Every Sunday, for more than a year, Shane did research at New York University in the chemistry department.

There he developed DNA structures that could be used to deliver drugs to specific parts of the body. He designed a group of small pieces of DNA that formed hexagons that could be used to “coat” drugs to be activated only when needed. To prove that hexagons were formed, Shane used atomic force microscopy.

According to information provided by Intel, over the past 64 years, STS alumni have been the recipients of more than 100 of the world’s most coveted science and math honors including Nobel Prizes, National Medals of Science, MacArthur Foundation Fellowships, and Fields Medals.

This year’s semifinalists were selected from 1,600 entrants in 47 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. Their research projects cover all disciplines of science including chemistry, physics, mathematics, engineering, social science and biology.

The students range in age from 15 to 18 with females representing 50 percent of the total entries.