In January 2010, senior Kevin X. was named as one of the 40 finalists in the National Intel Science Talent Search. His study, “Relationships between Oncologist Gender, Participatory Decision Making, Anxiety, and Breast Cancer Care,” was designed and carried out with the assistance of Dr. Allyson Weseley and the RHS Research Department. This is the third time in a mere four years that RHS has had an Intel Finalist.
The Intel Talent Search is the oldest, as well as the most prestigious, national science competition for students who are not enrolled in college yet. It is an extremely high honor to be awarded as an Intel finalist, because as Dr. Dobb’s Digest in January 2010 reported, previous Intel finalists have gone on to receive some of the world’s most desired awards in the fields of math and science. Included in the awards won by past finalists are the Nobel Prize, National Medal of Science, and Fields Medal, some of the most prestigious national and international awards. There are 40 national Intel Talent Search winners per year from high schools around the United States, and this year, the finalists come from 36 high schools in 18 different states.
Kevin X. is only one of the eleven finalists from New York. Mediasteed reported that the greatest number of finalists from one specific state came from New York (11), and nine of the New York finalists are from Long Island. The second-highest number of finalists yields from California, which is eight. Fewer finalists come from states such as New Jersey or Wisconsin.
X. is a RHS senior who has been interested in and excelling at research since his sophomore year. In December of this year, he was an early-decision applicant who was accepted to Columbia University in Manhattan. He has been assisted by Dr. Allyson Weseley of theresearch department with his behavioral research” “He is the person I would pick to win the Noble Prize in medicine some day,” Dr. Weseley, both the co-coordinator for the Research program at RHS and the teacher of the Introduction to Behavioral and Social Sciences course, said.
As Newsday in January reported, his Behavioral Science research project incorporated 105 patients with breast cancer who resided in both Staten Island and Brooklyn. The purpose of the study was to check the quality of their healthcare in relation to their treatment. His study found that the majority (54%) of breast cancer patients did not receive any type of follow-up treatment after they were diagnosed with breast cancer, while the other 46% received some type of care. The results of his study are very significant because they demonstrate that the majority of people with a severe disease, such as breast cancer, do not have health care plans that permit them to receive all of the treatment necessary in curing their disease. Moreover, his results reveal what the majority of health care plans lack, and how this affects patients in a negative way.
Kevin X. will be traveling to Washington D.C. in March to showcase his work to the public with the other 39 finalists. The finalists will display their research at the National Academy of Sciences. During their time in Washington, the finalists will be meeting political leaders such as Barack Obama, as well as scientists and other researchers. The students will be competing for monetary awards, and the student who obtains first place in the competition will receive $100,000. The finalists are guaranteed $7,500, but the students that receive second-ninth places will receive $75,000-$20,000 each, depending on what place the students receive. Will Kevin X. succeed at receiving one of the top ranks out of the Intel Talent Search finalists? Only time will tell.