NCSSM students’ research wins national competition

By Mindy B. Hagen

Lucie Guo's grandfather died of cancer in China before she was born because doctors failed to detect the disease early enough to save him.

Motivated to improve early cancer detection techniques, Guo, a 17-year-old student at the N.C. School of Science and Mathematics, decided to spend two summers researching the issue in a Duke laboratory. Along with classmate Xianlin Li, she discovered the existence of a gene that could be a marker for the early detection of breast cancer.

The students' years of research paid off in a big way Monday when they were named the national team winners for the 2004-05 Siemens Westinghouse Competition in Math, Science and Technology. Guo and Li, who met as sophomores at East Chapel Hill High School before enrolling in NCSSM, each receive $50,000 in scholarship money.

They spent the weekend in Washington, D.C., competing against other regional winners for the top prize and answering questions about their work from a panel of distinguished judges.

But the girls didn't find out they won until it was announced at a Monday morning awards ceremony.

"We were really shocked," Li said. "When they called our names, for the first few seconds, we couldn't even move. It brought tears to both of our eyes."

Back in Durham, NCSSM officials spent the morning monitoring the Siemens Web site and waiting for the results to be posted. Spokesman Craig Rowe said the school was thrilled by the students' accomplishment.

"The school is really proud that kids from North Carolina and Science and Math have been recognized nationwide for their scientific ingenuity and determination," Rowe said. "We are proud to call these young scientists our students."

In 2000, a team of three male students at NCSSM won the national competition.

Eighteen students from across the nation competed in this year's national finals, including six teams and six individuals. Bhaskar Mookerji, also an NCSSM student, earned a $20,000 scholarship by placing fifth in the national competition, and 10 students from the school competed in the regionals last month in Atlanta.

More than 1,200 students entered their research in the competition's first round this year.

Following the awards ceremony, Guo, of Chapel Hill, and Li, from Cary, were interviewed by national press organizations before taking a train to New York City. They were joined by Aaron Goldin, a 17-year-old from California, who won the top individual prize of $100,000 for inventing a way to turn ocean wave energy into electricity.

The day was such a whirlwind of activity for the students that at 4 p.m., Guo said she had yet to call her mother with the news of her victory.

They will make the rounds of morning television shows today, and ring the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange.

Both girls, when reached on their train trip from Washington to New York, managed to reflect on the research that won them the competition.

Guo said she's had a "general desire to improve medicine" after hearing about her grandfather's death from lung cancer. By the time doctors had detected the disease, it had spread too far in his body to be cured, she said.

Working with Duke mentors Jeffrey Marks and Wei Wang in the university's breast cancer laboratory, Guo and Li examined both healthy and cancerous genes using cell-by-cell sequencing. They determined the silent sites present in one particular gene, GADD45-alpha, could serve as a marker for identifying breast cancer.

Later, their findings could lead to advances in the early treatment of breast cancer.

"We know we've just taken a very little step toward that direction," Li said. "We are under no illusions that our research is the most important thing in curing cancer, but every little step helps in this giant stride toward the cure."

The competition's lead judge said both have the ability to become successful research scientists.

Kathie Olsen, associate director of the White House's Office of Science and Technology, said Guo and Li wowed a panel of judges during a 12-minute presentation of their work and a detailed question-and-answer session.

"These two young women were very composed and straightforward," said Olsen, NASA's former chief scientist. "It was very clear they did much more than just carry out the experiment, but understood the intellectual components as well. They clearly spelt out why their problem was important, were able to interpret their results, and knew what the next steps of their experiment should be."

Guo said she plans to use her $50,000 in scholarship money to apply to Harvard, Columbia and Northwestern universities. She is fluent in Mandarin and works on the school's literary magazine, is an editor for the newspaper and represents the senior class in student government. She plans to study biology, biochemistry or biomedical engineering in college.

Li said she's applying to seven schools -- but she didn't want to "jinx" her chances of admission by revealing their names. Also fluent in Mandarin, she is co-captain of NCSSM's Envirothon and Science Olympiad and spends her free time volunteering at local libraries and museums. Li said she hopes to become a cardiac surgeon or history teacher, but she also is interested in continuing her biology research.

"One of my career aspirations is to get into biology, so this whole experience has just confirmed my interest in science and made me more excited," she said. "Our research wasn't started to win the Siemens prize. It was just based on an interest in cancer we had. We certainly never expected to come this far at all."

THE COMPETITION

The Siemens Westinghouse Competition in Math, Science and Technology was launched in 1998 to recognize the nation's top high school researchers in math and science. This year, more than 1,200 students submitted their research in the individual and team categories. The entrants are judged at six regional sites, with individual and team winners moving on to the national finals. The competition is the signature program of the New Jersey-based Siemens Foundation, which supports educational activities by distributing $1 million in scholarships, awards and grants every year.

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