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From December 5, 2006, News-Sentinel

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http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/local_news/article/0,1406,KNS_347_5190325,00.html

Oak Ridge's brightest on top

Trio of high school students wins prestigious Siemens Competition

A team dubbed "The Oak Ridge Boys'' by the judges won the national championship Monday in the prestigious Siemens Competition in Math, Science and Technology.

Scott Molony, Steven Arcangeli and Scott Horton, all seniors at Oak Ridge High School, will split a $100,000 scholarship for their research efforts.

The announcement was made in New York City, and U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings presented the award.

National reporters, including those from CNN and National Public Radio, lined up to interview the winners.

"Is that not phenomenal news?'' Oak Ridge School Superintendent Tom Bailey enthused minutes after the award was announced.

"It speaks volumes for the kids we have here,'' Bailey said.

"It's extremely exciting,'' Oak Ridge High School Principal Chuck Carringer said. "To compete and win is a great accomplishment for both these students and the school as a whole.''

Using a supercomputer and working with an Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientist, the three teens developed a technique that could one day help scientists engineer bio-_fuel from plants.

Their 40-hour weeks of research last summer were so promising that the team's mentor, Dr. Nagiza Samatova, won an $800,000 grant to continue that work.

"They had been working so hard to prepare,'' Samatova said Monday. "I had a pretty good idea they would be near the top.''

All three teens said they plan to return to the lab this summer and continue their research.

The team's teacher, Dr. Benita Albert, says the annual Siemens competition is "the big league - what I like to call the Nobel Prize for high school.''

Winning "was the most confusing storm of emotions I've ever had,'' said 17-year-old Steven.

"My mother was so happy she broke down into tears, and my dad was absolutely beaming,'' said 18-year-old Molony.

The competition, conducted over the weekend at New York University, is regarded as the nation's premiere high school science research competition.

It's a signature program of the Siemens Foundation, a national leader in math and science education. The foundation provides nearly $2 million in scholarships and awards annually.

Bob Fowler, News Sentinel Anderson County editor, may be reached at 865-481-3625.

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