2005-06 National Second Place Winners
Second Place Winners
$35,000 Scholarship
Elizabeth Baker
University High School
Tucson, AZ
The Bi-Orbital Rotational Therapy Swing: A New Hope for Children with ADHD
"The number of children diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) increases at a dramatic rate each year. The increase in the diagnosis of this disorder results in a further demand for treatment."
Elizabeth Baker developed and tested a "bi-orbital rotational" swing that provides an alternative therapy for treating attention deficit hyperactivity in children. She proposed that the motion created by this therapy swing stimulates the Vestibular system and improves the concentration and performance of children with ADHD. Liz tested her hypothesis and swing on ADHD and non-ADHD children. She hopes to continue this project as a longitudinal study. She would like to test both the short and long term effects of the swing she has developed. She would also like to see if the swing is effective with other types of neuron-sensory disorders.
Liz has been a 1st and 2nd Place winner at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in 2002-2006, a Siemens Westinghouse Competition Semifinalist, Scientific Talent Search Semifinalist, National Academy of Neuroscience Semifinalist, 2005 Arizona Future Innovator of the Year, and placed first for a number of years in the Southern Arizona Regional Science Fairs.
She said about the YES Competition, "I think it attracted the kind of people that really do want to do something good for our world, not just for themselves." Liz's activities include serving as an AAAS Delegate to Beijing in 2004, a 5-year intern at Jane Goodall Institute's ChimpanZoo, an actor in Community Theater, president of the Science Club, vice president of Science Olympiad, Nestles Goodwill Ambassador, and Envirothon Coach. She will major in Psychology or Pre-Law at the University of Arizona.
Emily Lefkowitz
Suffern High School
Suffern, NY
Living with Impairment: Behavioral, Emotional and Social Adjustment of Neurotypical Siblings of Children with Autism
"The idea for my research project arose from my volunteer experience at a preschool for children with autism and other disabilities. Autism is a developmental disability that severely impacts the ability to communicate and is associated with unusual behaviors that impact family life."
For several summers, Emily Lefkowitz had been volunteering at a preschool for children with autism and had the opportunity to observe the interactions between the autistic children and their siblings. With the help of state autism societies, she utilized the internet to recruit participants for her research study. Her survey of families with autistic children suggests that siblings of children with autism have more behavioral problems, emotional difficulties, and lower levels of social competence than children whose siblings are not autistic.
Emily will attend Cornell University and would like to pursue a career in research. In addition to her volunteer work with autistic children, Emily volunteered at a residential facility for adults with Down syndrome, was vice-president of the English Honor Society and the French Honor Society, a member of the History, Science and Math Honor Societies, and in Varsity Track and Field.
Emily said that the YES Competition helped her to "gain a real understanding of what epidemiologists do and how much they contribute to helping public health. Epidemiologists must exercise critical thinking to understand all the factors that can affect the population and to design appropriate research methodology."