The 2000 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair

Our top four fair winners will be going the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF). As quoted from the ISEF page, "The Intel International Science and Engineering Fair is the Olympics, the World Cup and the World Series of science competitions. Held annually in May, the Intel ISEF brings together over 1,200 students from 48 states and 40 nations to compete for scholarships, tuition grants, internships, scientific field trips and the grand prize: a trip to attend the Nobel Prize Ceremonies in Stockholm, Sweden."
Here are the abstracts of the four students' entries.

> Alex C. Mittal
> Robert W.Mulcare
> Michael H.Nyberg
> John J. Shedletsky

Alex C. Mittal
The Diagnostic And Prognostic Significance Of P53 And Ki-67 Expression In Ovarian Serous Tumors Of Low Malignant Potential And Their Implants
133 Hillcrest Park Road, Cos Cob, Connecticut 06807
Greenwich High School, Greenwich, Connecticut

Patients with ovarian serous tumors of low malignant potential (OSTLMPs) have excellent long-term survivability. However, invasive implants in the peritoneum worsen the prognosis. Current diagnostic methods are not extremely accurate in distinguishing between invasive and non-invasive implants.
The purposes of this project were to (1) investigate the use of immunostaining for p53, a tumor suppressor protein, and Ki-67, an antigen present in dividing cells, as diagnostic tools to identify the type of implants, (2) determine if implants are independent tumors, and (3) determine why OSTLMPs are less deadly than other forms of ovarian cancer.
Invasive implants were found to have greater Ki-67 expression than non-invasive implants (23.3% vs. 3.7%). There was a close correlation between Ki-67 levels in the tumors and their respective implants (correlation coefficient 0.91). P53 was not over-expressed.
The findings indicate that (1) Ki-67 can be used to determine the type of implant implants, (2) implants are extensions of existing tumors, and (3) OSTLMPs are less deadly than other ovarian cancers, possibly due to lack of p53 mutations.

Robert W. Mulcare
Laser-Induced Fluorescence To Detect And Quantify Motor Oil Contamination In Soil And Water
9 Cedarwood Drive, Greenwich, Connecticut 06830
Greenwich High School, Greenwich, Connecticut

The detection of motor oil contamination in the environment is important in maintaining a balanced ecological system and securing the safety and health of human populations. In this research, a bench-top spectrometer was developed using a green helium-neon laser (543 nm). It was evaluated as an instrumental approach for the detection and spectral analysis of the laser-induced fluorescence produced by several common motor oils.
Motor oil was determined to have a unique, highly characteristic fluorescence spectrum peaking at 590 nm when excited with the green helium-neon laser. A motor oil extraction procedure from environmental mediums using hexane was developed, and the effectiveness of the procedure was confirmed using laser-induced fluorescence. Fluorescence signal intensity was shown to vary in direct linear proportion to known quantities of motor oil in samples. Real environmental samples collected from locations susceptible to motor oil contamination often exhibited the characteristic motor oil fluorescence spectrum. Other environmental samples did not exhibit any identifiable fluorescence signal, indicating that the characteristic motor oil fluorescence was not produced by a substance inherent in soil or water.
This laser-induced fluorescence approach to motor oil detection can be utilized to identify sites requiring bioremediation or in continuous monitoring at active sites that are susceptible to spills. A practical and portable field instrument may be feasible using a green diode laser and color bandpass filters.

Micheal H. Nyberg
An Experiment To Determine The Agent/Mechanism Causing Passivity Of Iron In Aerated Distilled Water
6 Hawthorne Rd, Old Lyme, CT 06371
Lyme-Old Lyme High School, Old Lyme, Connecticut

I discovered the counterintuitive phenomenon that super-aerating distilled water inhibits the oxidation of iron. Based on this observation, my goal is to determine the agent/mechanism that prevents oxidation.
Experiment Phases: I) Determine agent/mechanism blocking oxidation. I saturated two samples of iron immersed in distilled water, one with pure nitrogen, one pure oxygen; II) Determine level of saturation that corrosion-inhibition occurs, and the effects of motion. Six samples were exposed to various dissolved oxygen concentrations, three were stagnant, three were agitated; and III) Prove super-oxygenated condition represented a single chemical environment. A second environment was introduced by wrapping copper on the iron. Throughout, an aerated sample of iron in distilled water was the control.
The nitrogen-saturated sample rusted. The oxygen-saturated sample exhibited no detectable rust. Phase II, as oxygen levels increased (from 1 to 8ppm), rusting increased until the super-oxygenated (>10ppm) control sample which exhibited no detectable rust. However, agitated samples exhibit 24% less rust than their corresponding stagnant samples. Phase III had rust only around the copper wire.
These results proved that oxygen and only super oxygenation of distilled water is the mechanism inhibiting oxidation of iron. Super oxygenation establishes a homogeneous distribution of dissolved Oxygen by occupying every interstitial void between the water molecules. This reduces polarizing forces that occur from discontinuities of oxygen concentrations. The cathode attraction of electrons (e-) is reduced to the point where the high resistance of the low-conductivity distilled water cannot transport the iron ion (Fe+) to combine with the oxygen and form rust.

John J. Shedletsky
A Model Of Embryonic Cellular Morphology: Explorations Of A Two-Dimensional Cellular Automaton
1200 Salmon's Hollow, Brewster, NY 10509
Brewster High School, Brewster, New York

Much is unknown about the mechanisms that are responsible for the development of a morulan embryo, a small ball of undifferentiated cells, into a morphologically developed organism with a vast number of highly specialized cell bodies. A prevailing theory for the past five decades, supported by mathematician Alan Turing, is that differentiation and the introduction of large-scale structure are the effects of local concentrations of chemicals, known as morphogens. Turing's theory of chemical morphogenesis asserts that a system must meet three requirements for the morphogens to be able to influence the creation of structures: (1) There must be two or more chemical species, (2) These chemicals must diffuse at different rates, (3) They must be able to interact with each other.
A computer simulation of morphological development of a cellular automaton that fulfills Turing's three requisites has been constructed. Turing hypothesized that such a system would operate in a manner analogous to the actual process of morphogenesis. The results present strong evidence towards the validity of Turing's postulates, at least within the context of the model. Specifically, the optimum rates of diffusion for each of the morphogens for the purpose of cell differentiation and structural development have been determined. Also, the effects of differing initial conditions, such as chemical decomposition rates and specialization thresholds, have been assessed in terms of how well they promote both these occurrences. It is hoped that the results of this research will provide unique insights to biologists attempting to uncover the secrets behind morphological development.