2006-07 National Third Place Winners
Third Place Winners
$20,000 Scholarship
Sarah Silverstein
Patrick Henry High School
San Diego, California
A Longitudinal Study of Stress in First-Year Dental Students
"I meet many college students who are applying to dental school. While the application process is no doubt a stressful experience, I noticed that students seem stressed after they were accepted. This led me to do a project to examine the change in stress over time, and to see if the amount of stress students experience negatively affects their performance."
Sarah's project represents an investigation into a real-life problem. She feels that first-year dental students may be uniquely affected by stress. This is because they experience various life changes, such as the need to move, leave friends and family, and make new friends—as well as worry about finances and insecurities concerning their ability to do well in class. In her study of nearly 300 first-year dental students at four dental schools, Sarah found extremely high levels of stress. Sarah says that, "Knowledge of how stress affects performance and health, and how it changes over time, can be used by schools to counsel first-year students and to stimulate the implementation of stress-reduction programs."
Sara holds membership and leadership roles in numerous school and community based organizations, and has participated in multiple state and national science competitions. She has a variety of hobbies, including reading, photography, ceramics, swimming, and dancing. Sarah will be attending Nova Southeastern University in the fall. She is enrolling in the program for dentistry and will major in biology. Sarah plans to have a career as an orthodontist.
Paul Welle
Statesboro High School
Statesboro, Georgia
A Study of the Effectiveness of Lifestyle Habits and Coping Strategies on Stress Tolerance in College Students by Race and Gender
"I really enjoyed meeting the surgeon general and getting to hear him speak. YES has shown me how to analyze problems from a scientific standpoint. I will retain this skill, even if I don't continue in health research."
Recognizing that college students, particularly college freshmen, face increased stress from new social situations and heavier academic workloads, Paul examined the differences in how male and female, and Caucasian and African American students, suffer from and cope with stress. Finding that gender and race do indeed affect how one deals with stress, Paul believes his research can help students better handle the day-to-day stresses they face.
Paul has competed in state science fairs and the Science Olympiad. He belongs to school and civic organizations, and his hobbies include running and reading. He will attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the fall and plans to major in chemistry, biology, or international affairs.