2008-09 YES Semifinalists

Congratulations to the 2008-09 Semifinalists who each will receive a $1,000 scholarship

California

Gabriela Hempfling, Cate School, Carpinteria, "Picky Nits: A Class Act? A Study of the Susceptibility of a Population to Lice, Based on Gender, Beliefs, and Behavioral and Socioeconomic Factors."

Rachael Jander, High Tech High International, San Diego, "Examining Correlations Between Axis II Personality Disorders and Internet Exposure"

Michael Zhong, Los Altos High School, Los Altos, "Obesity Trends for Various Subpopulations"

Connecticut

Roy Collins IV, Choate Rosemary Hall, Wallingford, "Prevalence of Type 1 Diabetes in School Aged Children and Adolescents in Southern Illinois"

District of Columbia

William Soller, School Without Walls Senior High School, Washington, "Utility of the California Poison Control Database as a Drug Safety Signal Using Children's Cough/Cold Medicines as a Model"

Florida

Leah Regenbaum, Suncoast Community High School, Riviera Beach, "Are You Having Too Much Fun in the Sun?"

Georgia

Jessica Curtis, Dunwoody High School, Dunwoody, "Do Women 16-18 Years of Age Get Vaccinated with Gardasil and Do They Complete All Three Shots?"

Caleb Dillingham, Kennesaw Mountain High School, Kennesaw, "What is the Relationship Between Atmospheric Pressure and the Occurrence of Spontaneous Pneumothorax?"

Hanqing Feng, Decatur High School, Decatur, "Effects of Caffeine on Adolescent Sleep"

Patrick MacDonald, Dunwoody High School, Atlanta, "Age and Experience as Factors in Teenage Driving Fatalities"

Akshata Shirahatti, Northview High School, Duluth, "Examining the Correlation Among Academic Workload, Depression, and Sleep Deprivation in High School Students"

Hawaii

Nolan Kamitaki, Waiakea High School, Hilo, "Programming a Network Approach to Contain the Spread of Epidemics (A Second Year Study)"

Idaho

Alainna Brown, Skyline High School, Idaho Falls, "Agricultural Soil Disturbance in Areas of Volcanic Soil and Incidence of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: An Analytical Study"

Massachusetts

Meagan Moran, Bishop Feehan High School, Attleboro, "A Growing Epidemic: Obesity in American Adolescents"

Elyse Shapiro, Phillips Academy, Andover, "Eating Disorders in High School Students: Society, Race, or Genetics?"

Maryland

Kelen Jiang, Winston Churchill High School, Potomac, "Sociodemographic and Psychiatric Correlates of Binge Drinking in Young Adults: Results from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC)"

Jasmen Rice, Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, Baltimore, "Correlating the Behaviors of HIV-Positive and Negative African-American Females in the Baltimore-Towson Metropolitan Area"

Michigan

Fatimah Farooq, Dearborn Center for Math Science and Technology, Dearborn Heights, "Comparing the Relationship of Gestational Diabetes and Obesity"

Robert Hayes, Edsel B. Ford High School, Dearborn, "Assessing the Effect of Hand Washing on the Rate of School Absences Due to Illnesses Among Middle School Students"

Kerri Miazgowicz, Winston Churchill High School, Livonia, "A Comparison of Sport Injuries Based on Sport to Indentify Injury Trends and Create a Preventative Program"

Meghan Raycraft, Kalamazoo Area Math and Science Center, Kalamazoo, "Characteristics and Trends in Substance Overdose Deaths in Kalamazoo County, 2005-2008"

North Carolina

Matthew Draelos, The Early College at Guilford, Greensboro, "Multicultural Perceptions of Facial Skin Color Abnormalities"

New Jersey

Yibin Zhang, Montgomery High School, Skillman, "Sleep Debt: A Modern Epidemic"

New York

Timi Chu, Bronx High School of Science, Bronx, "Parental Perceptions and Attitudes Towards Obesity as Predictors of Mother's Weight Status"

Elissa Driggin, John F. Kennedy High School, Bellmore, "The Relationship Between Eating Behaviors and Preferences for Fast Foods in African-American Women"

Valentine Esposito, Smithtown High School East, St. James, "The Role of Fear on Teenage Drug Abuse: An Observational Study"

Rafaela Fischman, Yeshiva University High School for Girls, Holliswood, "Parental Pressure and Body Image Among Adolescent Girls in an Orthodox Jewish Community"

Raina Gandhi, Eastchester High School, Eastchester, "Evaluating the KidWAVE: A New Approach to Increasing Health Awareness"

Mallory Gold, Lawrence High School, Cedarhurst, "Body Image Among Adolescent Dancers and their Non-dancer Peers"

Jill Hsia, The Wheatley School, Old Westbury, "The Effect of Adolescent Self-Esteem on Health and Wellness"

Morris Jrada, Magen David Yeshivah Celia Esses High School, Brooklyn, "The Effect of Gender, Age, and Children in the Household on a Cancer Caregiver's Quality of Life, Pessimism, and Distress"

Yoel Kim, William A. Shine Great Neck South High School, Great Neck, "The Association of Body Mass Index with Bladder, Lung, and Colorectal Cancers in the U.S. Population"

Christopher Lando, The Wheatley School, Old Westbury, "An Examination of Current Adolescent Health Issues: Perception Versus Action"

John Lee, Brooklyn Technical High School, Brooklyn, "The Relationship Between Household Cleaners and Asthma"

Chelsea Magee, Valley Central High School, Montgomery, "The Effect of a Child with Rett Syndrome on the Motor and Verbal Development of Her Siblings"

Julia Mitelman, Edward R. Murrow, Brooklyn, "The Effects of Awareness of C. Lectularius (Common Name Bed Bug) on Attitudes Towards C. Lectularius"

Meryl Natow, George W. Hewlett High School, Hewlett, "A Test To Consider: Predicting Parents' Willingness to Have Children Undergo Predictive Genetic Testing"

Kelly Prudente, Smithtown High School West, Smithtown, "The Effect of Select Non-academic Activities On the Self Esteem of an Eleventh Grader"

Alaina Qayyum, Binghamton High School, Binghamton, "An Examination of the Effectiveness of Influenza Vaccinations Administered in Local Nursing Homes"

Jillian Rau, Valley Central High School, Montgomery, "The Psychological and Social Impacts on Patients Caused by the Occurrence of Giant Nevi"

Raquel Rose, Brooklyn Technical High School, Brooklyn, "Human Papillomavirus Vaccine (HPV): Awareness and Acceptance among Adolescents"

Elyssa Swanson, Sleepy Hollow High School, Sleepy Hollow, "The Correlation Between Hand Hygiene Protocol Compliance and Infection Rates at the Maria Fareri Childrens Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit"

Jenny Tse, Brooklyn Technical High School, Brooklyn, "Diet and the Risk of Developing Type 2 Diabetes in Chinese Adult Males"

Jessica Van Alstyne, Ichabod Crane High School, Valatie, "How Do Home-Cooked Meals Affect Obesity?"

Ari Weisfuse, Abraham Joshua Heschel, New York City, "GIS Analysis of Populations At-Risk"

Sara Wood, Maple Hill High School, Castleton, "The Correlation between Excessive Text Messaging and Levels of Social Anxiety in Adolescents"

Ohio

Kristina Collins, Beaumont School, Cleveland Heights, "Modeling an Epidemic Through Cellular Automata"

Yongjia Liu, Mayfield High School, Mayfield Village, "Carbapenem Resistance in Klebsiella Pneumoniae at the Cleveland Clinic"

Pennsylvania

Victoria Miller, Upper Dublin High School, Fort Washington, "Cancer and Its Relationship to Asbestos Exposure"

Neha Nagpal, Muncy Junior/Senior High School, Muncy, "A Study of the Effects of Smoking on the Early Development of Colorectal Polyps"

Texas

Megan Cline, Highland Park High School, Dallas, "Regularity of Menses and Cross-country Injuries in Adolescent Females"

Lindsay Euers, James Bowie High School, Austin, "Equal Opportunity Sports/Not so Equal Opportunity Injury—Are We Doing Enough to Address the Increased Risk of Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Knee Injuries That Female Athletes Incur Compared to Their Male Counterparts?"

Emily Forrester, Highland Park High School, Dallas, "Risk Factor Assesment for Injuries Among High School Football Players"

Sherine John, Hightower High School, Missouri City, "Built Environment Influences on Physical Activity Among Racial/Ethnic Minorities"

Louise Lu, Bellaire Senior High School, Bellaire, "Linking the Killers: A Study of the Correlation Between Obesity and Cancer Prevalence"

Lev Prichard, Highland Park High School, Dallas, "A Study Investigating Average Daily Caffeine Intake and Sleep Cycles in Teenagers"

Katherine Smith, Highland Park High School, Dallas, "Supermarkets vs. Fast Food: Availability Contributing to Risk for Obesity"

Caley Sokley, Highland Park High School, Dallas, "Longtime ADHD Medication Usage and Depression in Adolescents"

Ashley Thompson, Highland Park High School, Dallas, "The Association Between Poor Perception of Body Image and the Frequency in Which Young Girls Play With Barbie Dolls"

Virginia

Rachael Hallock, Franklin County High School, Rocky Mount, "Examining Religion as a Factor Contributing to HIV/AIDS Prevalence"

Dheeraj Manjunath, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Alexandria, "Modeling the Effect of Virus Transmissions on Population Dynamics Using Systems Dynamics and Agent Based Modeling"

Matthew Weber, Academy of Science, Sterling, "Predicting the Impact of Socioeconomic Factors on Influenza Spread in the United States via Dynamic S. I. R. Models"