A budding doctor, Daya Raman has taken a step closer to her
future career by becoming a semifinalist in the Intel Science
Talent Search, sometimes referred to as the
”
junior Nobel Prize competition.
”
Morgan Hill – A budding doctor, Daya Raman has taken a step closer to her future career by becoming a semifinalist in the Intel Science Talent Search, sometimes referred to as the “junior Nobel Prize competition.”
What the 17-year-old Morgan Hill resident hopes to do is join Doctors Without Borders and visit Africa.
“I really enjoy working in the community and volunteering, and if I am able to get my medical degree, I think it would be a really good application of my skills,” she said. “Visiting underprivileged cities, places that don’t have many doctors, that seems to me very worthwhile.”
Daya, a senior at Presentation High, a private Catholic school in San Jose, said she learned her project had been recognized when the awards committee visited the school Jan. 17.
“I was surprised; I mean I enjoyed doing the project, doing my own research and compiling my own research paper, but I just didn’t think it would go this far,” she said.
She received a $1,000 scholarship for her efforts.
Becoming even more animated, Daya said she had the idea for her project when she was watching a news report on malaria.
“The man in the interview said, ‘Words cannot kill mosquitos,’ and I thought about that a lot.”
Her project centered around finding an environmentally friendly way to keep mosquitoes at bay.
“I interviewed many people, did a lot of research to find plants that would work for this,” she said. “It took me six months to do all the experimentation. But I found the three most significant plants were pulsi, sweet fennel and sweet Annie. I was trying to find a more environmentally efficient way to ward off or protect swamps in areas in poorer countries. By using these plants, it was also cost efficient. I tried many other plants, but these were the most potent.”
The staff at Presentation was not surprised to hear of Daya’s success.
“She is smart, she is motivated, driven, and she is very much a part of the community,” said Julie Edson, vice principal of academics for Presentation. “She is certainly taking full advantage of her four years in high school.”
Academically, Daya is excelling, Edson added, but that is not her focus.
“She’s an AP (advanced placement) student across the board, she maintains a 4.2 grade-point average … She’s the model of the Presentation graduate, a woman of faith, dedicated to helping others, intellectually competent … Her desire to join Doctors Without Borders is just one example of her social justice commitment.”
John Howe, who is the director of the school’s Mathematics and Science Academy, also described Daya as a dedicated student.
“Over the years, I have come to see Daya’s dream of becoming a physician clearer and clearer,” he said. “I believe that she can fulfill her dream by going for the ‘Golden Ring.’ I want to see her succeed, and I attempt to mentor her in this direction.”
Howe said approximately one-fourth of the 750 girls at Presentation High are a part of the academy. Howe came out of retirement eight years ago to join Presentation’s staff hoping to promote gender equity in mathematics. Science soon became a part of the equation, and Howe recommended that Daya apply for the Intel award and guided her through the process.
“I believe that Daya has come away from her Intel Science Talent Search project with a much clearer understanding of what science is all about and what scientists actually do. The sky is the limit for Daya and so many other Presentation students just like her. She will go for the ‘Golden Ring’ and fulfill her childhood dream as a young woman,” Howe said.
A total of 1,705 students from around the country participated in the prestigious Intel competition which has been around for more than 60 years. She’s one of nine Bay Area high school students who were among 300 national semifinalists. Forty finalists will be announced Jan. 31. They will then travel to Washington, D.C. in March. The top-prize finalist receives a $100,000 four-year scholarship. The second-place finalist receives a $75,000 scholarship, and the third-prize winner gets a $50,000 scholarship. Fourth-through sixth-place finalists each receive a $25,000 scholarship; seventh-through tenth-prize winners each receive a $20,000 scholarship.
Marilyn Dubil covers education and law enforcement for The Times. Reach her at (408) 779-4106 ext. 202 or at
md****@mo*************.com
