Eight Indian-American students are among the 40 finalists of the Intel Science Talent Search competition, the oldest and most prestigious pre-college science competition in the US.
The 40 finalists will compete in Washington, DC from March 7-13 for USD 630,000 in awards. The top winner will receive USD 100,000 from the Intel Foundation.
The Indian finalists are Vishnu Shankar from California, Sreyas Misra from California, Rahul Siddharth Mehta from Chicago, Anand Srinivasan from Georgia, Ajay Saini from Massachusetts, Anubhav Guha from New York, Preeti Kakani from New York and Parth Thakker from North Carolina.
"It's exciting for the future of innovation because the US needs these 40 high school seniors, and others like them, to question, explore and help solve some of the world's greatest challenges," said Wendy Hawkins, executive director of the Intel Foundation.
These 40 finalists were narrowed down from 300 semifinalists and more than 1,700 entrants, an Intel statement said.
"The Intel Science Talent Search encourages students to pursue ambitious scientific questions and develop skills to solve the problems of tomorrow. Participants are judged on their original scientific research and their achievement and leadership, inside and outside the classroom," it said.
