Young Science Stars

The Intel Award Winners, Up Close Profiles on the 40 finalists, their projects, and their opinions on a host of issues. Additional material about the students will be posted over the next few days

GRAND PRIZE

Their Worries ... And Their Priorities

Forty finalists in Intel's Science Talent Search speak their minds on science education and government policy

SMART COOKIES Some of the finalists in the Intel Science Talent Search. Back row, from left: Ling Pan, Albert Tsao, James Cahill, Aaron Goldin, and Karl Plank. Front row: Neal Wadhwa, Ryan Harrison, grand-prize winner David Bauer, Sarah Langberg, and Po-Ling Loh

Meet The Best And Brightest
Forty gifted U.S. high school science students told us what matters to them

Online Extra: Science Search Finalists

Online Extra: Get Women Scientists Started Young
That's the recommendation of a high school scientist who's sure female students would respond to the opportunity now so often hidden to them

Online Extra: Science's Language Problem
As globalization increases, communication between linguistic communities could become a serious stumbling block

Online Extra: Finding the Energy for Tomorrow
Without fuel, civilization will sputter to a halt -- a fate the coming generation can't allow

Online Extra: Women in Science Aren't All Geeks
Why more females aren't in science is unclear. But those who are scientists are hardly stereotypical nerds

Online Extra: Curing Science's Gender Imbalance
It's not a matter of inability. It's a matter of building a critical mass of women in science to serve as role models

Online Extra: Science Needs Women Scientists
Their tendency to be good at making connections is a critical skill in today's fragmented fields

Online Extra: Yes, Girls, Science Is Fun
Females need to see early on that it's not like the geek stereotype and that their odds of success are high if they try

Online Extra: Immigration Breeds Generations of Success
America's openness to newcomers willing to work hard to succeed creates a virtuous cycle that benefits all

Online Extra: Why America's Schools Are Slipping
U.S. students suffer from lack of diversity in teaching, uninvolved parents, and a false sense of entitlement

Online Extra: Prepare Now for the Post-Oil Era
The transition promises to be wrenching, but to delay the inevitable is a sure invitation to a global disaster

Online Extra: Avoiding the Next Energy Crisis
Hybrid autos are just the start. Many longer-term alternatives exist, but they'll need a lot more investment than they're getting now

Online Extra: Can Capitalism Eliminate Poverty?
Probably not, even though it's the best economic system yet. It takes compassion from the haves to help the have-nots

Online Extra: Reason and Intuition: Science Needs Both
An equal marriage of animus and anima -- the male and female poles -- is the key to discerning the truth

Online Extra: Energy: The Crisis Hits Home
You don't have to go far to see signs of oil demand outstripping supply. I sure don't

Online Extra: Immigration Opens Doors to the Future
America's historical welcome to newcomers is a key to its ongoing greatness. That will remain true tomorrow, too

Online Extra: Women Bring Balance to Science
Why so many girls get turned off to science and math is tough to answer. What's clear is that their inclusion is better for all

Online Extra: As Computers Grow Ever Smarter
The conventional wisdom says machines are great calculators but not creators of new ideas. That belief may soon be eclipsed

Online Extra: Banish Boredom from the Classroom
America's focus on standarized-test preparation has robbed students of more creatively oriented studies. The result is predictable

Online Extra: Repaying the West's Debt to Islam
Science today wouldn't be as advanced without so many discoveries from the Muslim world. It's time to reach across today's hurtful barriers

Online Extra: Don't Choke Off the Flow of Immigrants
The influx of smart, ambitious foreigners is vital to America's scientific and economic power. Even the world could suffer if it's overly restricted

FINALIST PROFILES