MEET THE 2017 WINNERS

The Samueli Foundation Prize:

$25,000

Winner:
Faris Irwin Wald, 15, Santa Fe, NM
Project:
The Correlation Between Solar Coronal Hole Occurrences and the Formation of Tropical and Extra-Tropical Cyclones

Faris Wald, 15, Santa Fe, NM, won the $25,000 Prize, for his overall mastery of science and engineering as well as for his project, which found a correlation between coronal holes and cyclones. Faris has always been curious about the strength of the sun’s power and its effect on our planet, which prompted him to analyze data related to sunspot and coronal hole events. The prize is a gift of Dr. Henry Samueli, co-founder of Broadcom Corporation and Chair of the Broadcom Foundation and his wife, Dr. Susan Samueli, President of the Samueli Foundation.

2017-10-24-SFS-Broadcom-3-Winners-Samueli Foundation Faris Irwin Wald

Marconi/Samueli Award for Innovation:

$10,000

Winner:
Meghna Behari, 14, Sewickley, PA
Project:
Aquabot: An Integrated Modular Platform for Testing and Monitoring Surface Water Quality

Meghna Behari, 14, Sewickley, PA, won the $10,000 Marconi/Samueli Award for Innovation, an honor made possible by Samueli’s generous donation of his 2012 Marconi Society Prize Award.  Finding that current water testing methods are inefficient, Meghna developed the “Aquabot,” an automated testing device that can wirelessly collect and transmit data on water quality.

2017-10-24-SFS-Broadcom-Marconi Prize Meghna Behari

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Award for Health Advancement

$20,000

Winner:
Emily Tianshi, 14, San Diego, CA
Project:
Microscopic Study of Torrey Pine Needles for Moisture Condensation

Emily Tianshi, 14, San Diego, CA, won the $20,000 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Award for Health Advancement, which recognizes the student whose work and performance shows the most promise in health-related fields. A Californian, Emily is concerned about the draught and its effects on our population as well as the environment.  Emily’s project examines Torrey Pine needles – a tree that grows in an area of California that has been having a long draught, but still gets enough water to survive. Emily hopes that by learning more about the pine needles, future technology could mimic the Torrey Pines’ moisture-harvesting mechanism, helping people cope better with droughts.

2017-10-24-SFS-Broadcom-3-Winners-Emily Tianshi

Lemelson Award for Invention:

$7,500

Winner:
Helen Lyons, 14, New York, NY
Project:
Using Flotation Systems to Harness Wave Power Using Electromagnetism

Helen Lyons, 14, New York, NY, won the $7,500 Lemelson Award for Invention, awarded by The Lemelson Foundation to a young inventor creating promising solutions to real-world problems. Through her project, Helen investigated a renewable energy technology, specifically generating electricity using Faraday’s law of electromagnetic induction.

2017-10-24-SFS-Broadcom-3-Winners-Lemelson Helen Lyons

STEM WINNERS

Each of these finalists (first and second-place award winners) were selected for demonstrated skills and promise in each of the disciplines represented by STEM. First-place winners are awarded $3,500 and second-place winners receive $2,500, in each case to support the finalist’s choice of STEM summer camp experiences offered around the country. Each STEM winner also wins an iPad®.

Science Award

2017-10-21-JY-SFS-Broadcom-Public-Pujita Tangirala Science First
First place: Pujita Tangirala, Los Gatos, CA for her competition skills and project: A Green for her project: Low-Cost Adsorbent for the Removal of Dye from Aqueous Solutions 
2017-10-21-JY-SFS-Broadcom-Public-Day-Jessie Gan Second Place Science
Second place: Jessie Gan, San Diego, CA for her competition skills and project: Natural Antioxidant and Nano-Antioxidant Effects Against Oxidative Stress

Technology Award

2017-10-21-JY-SFS-Broadcom-Public-Herin Kang Technology First
First place: Herin Kang, Los Gatos, CA for her project: Energy Efficient Oxygen Generator Using Micro Algae as an Alternative to Window Ventilation
2017-10-21-JY-SFS-Broadcom-Public-Day-Anthony Hill Technology Second Place
Anthony Hill, Holladay, UT for his competition skills and project: No Pressure: The Effects of Martian-Like Atmospheric Pressure on Enzyme Catalyzed Reactions in Plants

Engineering Award

2017-10-21-JY-SFS-Broadcom-Public-Day-Andrew Chiang Engineering First Place
First place: Andrew Chiang, San Jose, CA for his competition skills and project: Manipulation of Ultrasonic Force Field 
2017-10-21-JY-SFS-Broadcom-Public-Spencer Green Engineering Second
Second place: Spencer Green, Huntington Beach, CA for his competition skills and project: The Sonification of Accelerometers for the Training of Elite Gymnasts 

Mathematics Award

2017-10-21-JY-SFS-Broadcom-Public-Day-Zoe Gotthold Math First Place
First place: Zoe Gotthold, Richland, WA for her competition skills and project: A Novel Method for the Efficient Determination of Long-Term Emulsion Stability
2017-10-21-JY-SFS-Broadcom-Public-Day Sara Kaufman Math Second PlaceFINAL
Second place: Sara L. Kaufman, Cooper City, FL for her competition skills and project: The Effects of Wind Mitigation Devices on Gabled Roofs

Rising Stars Award

RisingStars copy
In recognition of their contributions throughout the 2017 Broadcom MASTERS finals, as well as their projects, Mithra Karamchedu of Portland, Oregon, and Regan Williams of Wilmington, NC, will represent the U.S. at the Broadcom MASTERS International and act as Official Observers of the 2018 Intel ISEF the world’s largest international high school science and engineering fair.

Team Award

2017.10.MASTERS_Green Team_Raspberry Pi Challenge2
The Broadcom MASTERS Team Award was awarded to the Green Team for demonstrating their ability to work together, solve problems through shared decision-making, communication and scientific and engineering collaboration. Each received an iPod nano®.

Green Team members: Andrew Chiang, Arjun Moorthy, Zoe Gotthold, Regan Williams, Mithra Karamchedu

Scott A. McGregor Leadership Award

The Scott A. McGregor Leadership Award is presented to the finalist who is elected by his or her peers to represent them as their Broadcom MASTERS Class Speaker.

Arjun Moorthy was presented with the Scott A. McGregor Leadership Award for his talent, enthusiasm, collegiality and generosity of a leader.

This award honors former Broadcom President and Chief Executive Officer and founding Chairman of the Broadcom Foundation Scott McGregor, who enthusiastically championed the Broadcom MASTERS and is passionate advocate for science fair competition and project-based learning as essential to development of 21st century skills.

2017-10-24-SFS-Broadcom-2-Awards-Class Speaker Arjun Moorthy

2017 COMPETITION FINALISTS

Broadcom Foundation and Society for Science & the Public present the 30 middle school finalists who competed in the seventh annual Broadcom MASTERS® competition. The 15 girls and 15 boys were selected by a panel of distinguished scientists and engineers from 2,499 applicants from 37 states, Puerto Rico and the Department of Defense overseas. The finalists won an all-expense paid trip to Washington DC and competed for cash and experiential prizes.

Winners were announced in October 2017.

First Name Last Name City State Project
Scott Tobin Port Orange FL By Using A Solar Powered Tesla Coil Can Water Be Made Potable Through Ozonification
Cameron Sharma Glen Allen VA www.FutureFlu.org: A Novel Phylogeny and Antigenicity Based Tool for Designing the Seasonal Flu Vaccine
Helen Lyons NY NY Using Flotation Systems to Harness Wave Power Using Electromagnetism
Kathryn Kummel Colorado Springs CO Gone With the Wind: An Investigation of the Horseshoe Vortex Behind Tree Islands on Pikes Peak and What it Means for Tree Growth
Robert Kent Chagrin Falls OH Are Microplastic Contaminants More Abundant in Farm Raised or Wild Clams?
Honora Navid Pittsburgh PA Polling Pollinators: Do Pollinators Prefer Native Plants, Cultivars, or Nativars? A Two-Year Study
Jessie Gan San Diego CA Natural Antioxidant and Nano-Antioxidant Effects Against Oxidative Stress
Carolyn Almonte Burlington NJ The Effect of UV Radiation on the Metamorphic Process of Zophobas Morio Larvae and the Ability of Bixin to Protect Against Observed UV Induced Damage
Faris Wald Santa Fe NM The Correlation between Solar Coronal Hole Occurrences and the Formation of Tropical and Extra-Tropical Cyclones
Meghna Behari Sewickley PA Aquabot: An Integrated Modular Platform for Testing and Monitoring Surface Water Quality
Annika Viswesh Palo Alto CA Oculus Patch Assistant: A novel method to simplify and improve the effectiveness of Amblyopia treatment by using a smart sensor, a smartphone application, and predictive machine learning algorithms
Aryansh Shrivastava Fremont CA A Microcontroller Based, Programmable, Elderly Healthcare Activity Monitoring System with Intelligent Data Analytics for Early Emergency Detection and Alerts
Arjun Moorthy Scottsdale AZ Can Technology Be Used To Modify Behavior and Reduce Rates of Melanoma
Rachel Pizzolato Metairie LA Generating Electricity By Harnessing Air That Flows Around A Skyscraper Using Bernoulli's Principle And The Venturi Effect With Special Emphasis On Biomimicry
Austin Crouchley Garden City NY Archimedes Inspired Hydro-Powered Solar PV Azimuth Tracking Mechanism: A Solution to the Energy and Water Crisis
Regan Williams Wilmington NC Marsh attacks: Context-dependent effects of intraspecific trait variation in a marsh ecosystem predator-prey interaction
Andrew Chiang Saratoga CA Manipulation of Ultrasonic Force Field
Noah Cain Apple Valley CA Kids Still at Risk: Particulate Matter and Flammable Gas Exposed
Sara Kaufman Cooper City FL The Effects of Wind Mitigation Devices on Gabled Roofs
Zoe Gotthold Richland WA A Novel Method for the Efficient Determination of Long-Term Emulsion Stability
Stephen Litt Marietta GA Phase 2: Does Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate Inhibit Tumorigenesis In Planaria (Dugesia Tigrina)? A Novel Approach Toward A Cure For Cancer
Pujita Tangirala Los Gatos CA A Green, Low-Cost Adsorbent for the Removal of Dye from Aqueous Solutions
Spencer Green Huntington Beach CA The Sonification of Accelerometers for the Training of Elite Gymnasts
Emily Shi San Diego CA Microscopic Study Of Torrey Pine Needles For Moisture Condensation
Julian Bain Missoula MT Focus Pocus - Using Auto-Focusing Water-Based Lenses at Different Distances
Leia Gluckman Beverly Hills CA A Clean Conscience: Formulating an All-Purpose Hair, Dental and Body Cleansing Powder for the Homeless Population
Herin Kang Los Gatos CA Energy Efficient Oxygen Generator Using Micro Algae As An Alternative To Window Ventilation
Mithra Karamchedu Portland OR Remote Sensing the Ablation or Accumulation of a Glacier By Using Fractal Analysis on Glacier Images
Anthony Hill Holladay UT No Pressure: The Effects of Martian-Like Atmospheric Pressure on Enzyme Catalyzed Reactions in Plants
Sanjay Seshan Pittsburgh PA Keeping Our Heads Above Water: Early Detection of Stress in Buried Water Pipes