2008-09 National Second-Place Winners
National Second-Place Winners
$35,000 Scholarship
Allan Joseph
Saint Charles Preparatory School
Columbus, Ohio
A Multi-Sport Epidemiologic Comparison of ACL Injuries in High School Athletics
"Students with wide interests should look into the YES Competition because epidemiology isn't just about infectious diseases. The methods used by epidemiologists can be used to study anything from psychology to audiology to sports. The range of subjects is unbelievable!"
Allan based his study on a database that collects information from certified athletic trainers at over 100 high schools across the nation, and his study is the largest national study of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in high school athletics ever conducted. Allan found that athletes were eight times more likely to be injured during competition than during practice and that the highest-risk sport for ACL injury was football for boys and soccer or basketball for girls. He also found that in sports played by both boys and girls, girls were eight times more likely than boys to suffer an ACL injury, confirming the results of other studies. To prevent ACL injuries, Allan recommends that coaches and trainers be made aware of the highest-risk activities, enforce better officiating to minimize injury, and add exercises that strengthen the muscles around the knee to provide greater stability.
Allan participated in the 2008 JETS TEAMS Engineering Competition where his team finished eighth nationally. He volunteers with several youth groups, enjoys playing sports, and will intern at the Nationwide Children's Hospital Center for Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Research this summer. This fall, Allan will attend the University of Notre Dame where he will major in pre-med. His career plans include pediatric surgery, public health, or laboratory research.
Ilana Rice
Ossining High School
Ossining, New York
Examining the Relationship between Partner Attachment and Combat-Related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
"YES is an incredible experience, and one that should not be passed by. The possibilities extend far beyond the opportunity to win money. You have the chance to expand your research, improve it, and learn to apply it in the real world. What you feel at this competition is of course a great sense of responsibility, but also a great sense of privilege to be among the best and brightest in their fields."
For her study, Ilana recruited 29 couples where the male was a combat veteran, including at least one veteran from each of the last five major U.S. military conflicts. She found that veterans with high anxiety and low self-esteem as well as those whose partners avoided being in close proximity to them had significantly more severe posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Ilana also noted that greater veteran anxiety was associated with increased alcohol use, increased depression, and marital dissatisfaction. Her findings could be used to improve the use of couples therapy to assist in PTSD treatment.
Ilana has won numerous science competitions and was a semifinalist in the Intel Science Talent Search competition. She is a member of the Model United Nations, the Junior State of America, and many other school clubs. Ilana has been accepted to Barnard College where she will study political science, journalism, and international relations and will continue her work as an advocate for veterans benefits.