Blair HS has most finalists of any school in the nation

Three Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) students have been named finalists in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search, one of the most prestigious high school science competitions in the nation. The three students are among 40 finalists named Wednesday and all attend Montgomery Blair High School.

Montgomery Blair High School has the most finalists of any school in the nation. The three finalists and their projects are:

- Ishaun S. Datta, Saturated Nuclear Matter in the Large Nc and Heavy Quark Limits of Quantum Chromodynamics
- Neil S. Davey, Early Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment Through the Detection of Circulating Tumor Cells Using Drop-Based Microfluidics
- Jessica Shi, The Speeds of Families of Intersection Graphs

The Intel Science Talent Search is administered by the Society for Science & the Public, a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to public engagement in scientific research and education. The finalists will gather March 6–12 in Washington, D.C., to compete for more than $600,000 in awards, including a grand prize of $100,000.

Earlier this month, the Society for Science & the Public announced the names of 300 semifinalists, who were chosen from a pool of nearly 1,800 entries. Fifteen MCPS students were chosen as semifinalists, accounting for 75 percent of Maryland’s 20 semifinalists. MCPS has three of Maryland’s four finalists.

“This is a very proud day for Montgomery County Public Schools and Montgomery Blair High School,” Superintendent Joshua P. Starr said. “These students have combined deep academic knowledge with creativity and perseverance and it has led to tremendous success. Congratulations to our Intel finalists, their families, and the staff that have supported them throughout this process.”

National Press Release

List of MCPS Semifinalists