Libertyville teen faces nation's top young scientists
The heat is on for Gokul Krishnan, 13, a Libertyville seventh-grader vying to be "America's Top Young Scientist of the Year" in a three-day contest beginning Sunday.
What's in store
The competition: Krishnan is among 40 finalists in The Discovery Channel's Young Scientist Challenge, a national contest offering more than $100,000 in scholarships and prizes. The top winner receives a $20,000 scholarship. Finalists were selected from 75,000 middle school students who entered statewide science fairs.
How Krishnan got here: He grew cells in solutions of varying acidities and alkalinities, and after a week took pictures of the cultures using a microscope fitted with a camera. The work made him one of 13 winners at Oak Grove School's science fair. He stood out in the regional competition in Arlington Heights and was one of seven outstanding students selected from 1,200 at the state science fair in Champaign.
The challenge: Krishnan and other finalists will present project findings before hundreds of people, including scientists, on the first day of the competition at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History. The key test is explaining research and ideas.
Green theme: Monday and Tuesday, students head to the University of Maryland to investigate climate change, global warming and eco-friendly initiatives, such as green building design. Finalists are divided into teams to face challenges in an experimental setting. The Discovery Channel will film their activities behind the scenes.
Hush, it's a secret: A surprise awaits contenders at the end of the competition. The Discovery Channel will reveal at a Wednesday night awards ceremony what it plans to do with the competition's video footage. Perhaps a future TV show?
Track Krishnan's progress: Check out short video clips and photos of the young scientists during the week at www.discovery.com/dcysc or find details about the contest at www.sciserv.org.
Sources: Discovery Channel and Science Service