2006-2007 National First Place Winners
Projects on Multiple Sclerosis and Teen Drug, Alcohol, and Tobacco Use Take Top Honors in National Science Competition
First Place Winners
$50,000 Scholarship
Megan M. Blewett
Madison High School
Madison, New Jersey
A Space/Time Epidemiological Comparison of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
"What is so unique about the YES Competition is that everyone shares a genuine interest in improving public health. The focus among the finalists and judges is less on the competition and more on building a basis for a healthier world."
Megan first read about MS when she was in the sixth grade, and began mapping its distribution in the eighth grade. After hearing about the commonalities between MS and ALS (commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease), she decided to map both diseases to examine their distributions. Megan's research shows a common geographic pattern of MS and ALS in the United States. Active in the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and a regular speaker at MS fundraising events, she believes her research may shed light on a common environmental factor or trigger for the two diseases.
Megan says that the YES Competition showed her the need for young people to pursue careers in medicine, and that solving the health problems of tomorrow will demand the efforts of today's brightest minds. Megan is fluent in Chinese, and her hobbies include playing the flute and piano, writing fiction, playing tennis, and running. She has participated in numerous science fairs and placed seventh in the Intel Science Talent Search this year. She hopes to continue researching MS and Lou Gehrig's disease until the causes and cures are found. Megan plans to earn an M.D. and Ph.D. to become both a researcher and a doctor.
William Slack
Decatur High School
Decatur, Georgia
Teen Drug, Alcohol, and Tobacco Use: A Social Network Examination
"I think many answers to questions in health can be found by doing a social examination into why people make the unhealthy choices they do, as well as why certain advertising is so effective, and how to counter the factors that make a population unhealthy."
Developing a highly innovative social networking analysis method, Will found that high school students' levels of alcohol use tend to be similar within the same group of friends and tend to take place in larger groups. Marijuana and tobacco use, however, tend to be more individualistic and appear to occur in smaller groups. Will believes his findings can be used to better understand teen substance abuse behaviors and shape future interventions around the issues of drugs and peer pressure.
Professionally, Will wants to look at how technology affects social relationships and health, and how scientific research and its ramifications can interact with the public. "I feel there is not a strong interface between science and the public, such that often clear science can be confused by those who oppose its conclusions." Will's hobbies include playing and composing on the piano, and keeping up to date with political news events. He is a member of the National Honor Society, is active in his church youth program, and is a mock trial captain and student body treasurer at his school. He has placed at the Georgia Governor's Honors Program in Chemistry. Will plans to attend Williams College and study sociology or political science.