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Pre-College Geoscience Researchers Recognized at Intel ISEF 2017

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The American Geosciences Institute was pleased to recognize three outstanding projects by pre-college students at this year’s Intel International Science & Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF) on May 19, 2017, in Los Angeles, Calif. This year’s award recipients showcased a broad range of exciting geoscience topics including geothermal vents, paleontology, soil contamination, and volcanic eruptions. In support of Intel ISEF, AGI sponsors a first place award of $1,250; a second award of $1,000; and a third award of $500.

Jean-Baptiste Flieller and Elias Suvanto of Gymnase Jean Sturm in Strasbourg, France, won the first place prize for their project, “Study and Modeling of Pressure and Temperature during a Geyser Eruption,” which examined the rapid environmental changes that occur inside of a geyser during an eruption.

“I have always liked understanding how things work. When I first saw a video of a geyser erupting, I wanted to know more about it,” said Flieller. He and Suvanto devised an experimental setup of a geyser, and built mathematical models which allowed them to understand and predict their eruptive behavior more and more exactly."

Both Flieller and Suvanto were thrilled to receive this recognition, and Flieller recalled their shared reaction: “The day of the special award ceremony, we were late (due to our buses) and at the moment we walked inside the room, we saw the symbol of AGI on the screen and our name. It was just magic.”

AGI has sponsored the Special Award for Outstanding Performance in Earth Science at Intel ISEF since 2002. The second and third place winners are listed below:

Second Award

  • Mathematically Cutting to the Bone: Solving Analytical Problems in ESR Dating the Paleolithic Site at Isimila, Tanzania by Neeraj Sakhrani, Bronx High School of Science, NY, United States of America

Third Award (Tie)

  • Arsenic Contamination through Tsunami Wave Movement in Hawaii: Investigating the Concentration of Heavy Metals in Soil by Cai Fenw th, 1040 LIZA Li actraii TNeaanawnw
  • Bamboo Forest as a Natural Levee of Pyroclastic Flows in Merapi Volcano by Azizah Dewi Suryaningsih, State Senior High School 1 Yogyakarta, Indonesia

More information on the AGI awards presented at Intel ISEF, visit bit.ly/AGI-ISEF or contact: Ed Robeck, Director of Education & Outreach, erobeck@americangeosciences.org, (703) 379-2480, ext. 245