Two Montgomery Blair High School seniors have been named finalists in the 63rd annual Intel Science Talent Search.

They are among 40 national finalists in the talent search, in which high school seniors entered papers on their independent research projects in science, engineering, mathematics, and computer science. The finalists will compete for college scholarships totaling more than $500,000, with a top prize of a $100,000 scholarship.

Maryland had four finalists in the competition. Finalists were selected from a group of 300 semifinalists who, in turn, were chosen from among 1,652 applicants from 36 states and the District of Columbia. MCPS had 15 of Maryland’s 23 semifinalists—13 of them from Montgomery Blair and one each from Rockville and Walt Whitman high schools.

The MCPS finalists are:

• Melis Nuray Anahtar, Microfluidic Device for Rapid Isolation of Pure Leukocyte Populations. Anahtar’s entry in engineering focused on use of microelectronics and microfluidics in biology and medicine. Using soft lithography and designing/building her own microchips, she created a microfluidic device that isolates "diagnostically useful" white blood cells from whole blood without altering their characteristics. The process takes less than 10 seconds, compared with standard techniques that take more than 30 minutes and significantly alter the white blood cell structure. Anahtar believes her research may potentially aid in the study of patient immuno-inflammatory response to trauma or burns. A pianist and a golfer, Anahtar is co-captain of the debate team at Blair and is on the robotics team. She plans to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

• Gordon L. Su, The Effects of Economic Globalization on Income Inequality in Post-Mao China. Su analyzed globalization's impact on income inequality in China for his behavioral and social science entry. Using trade, privatization and foreign investment as parameters of globalization, he developed a series of equations that he used to study the impact of globalization on urban-rural population and coastal-interior province inequality and the overlap between them. Among his many conclusions: globalization has been good for China; globalization was higher and urban-rural inequality was lower in coastal provinces; and differences in degrees of coastal and interior globalization have contributed to inequality. A violinist and skateboarder, Su is co-captain of the tennis team and co-founder of the book club. He plans to study economics at the University of Pennsylvania.

The 40 finalists will travel to Washington, D.C., March 11-16 to attend the Science Talent Institute, where they will participate in final judging and other activities. The winners will be announced at a black tie banquet on March 16.

The Science Talent Search, American’s oldest and most prestigious precollege science competition, will celebrate its 63rd anniversary this year. The competition is sponsored by the Intel Corporation, headquartered in Santa Clara, California., in partnership with Science Service, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization. Past finalists include more than 100 of the world’s most coveted science and math honors, including five Nobel Prizes and three National Medals of Science.