63rd Annual STS (2003-2004)
Finalists
Arjun Anand Suri

CALIFORNIA
Arjun Anand Suri, 17, of Fresno, was named a finalist in the Intel Science Talent Search for his biochemistry project, researching the effect of tyrosine sulfation, a process in protein synthesis, on the binding of a molecule with a cell receptor. He used a computer algorithm to predict occurrence of the process in seven transmembrane receptor proteins and created 3D models to predict sulfation locations. He found that these sites were clustered around the binding region, suggesting their interaction with the binding molecule, and believes that his model may improve pharmaceutical designs for drugs that target these binding sites. Arjun is first author of a paper on his findings that will be submitted to Molecular Pharmacology. He is first in his class of 672 at Clovis West High School, where he plays varsity tennis, captains the academic decathlon team, edits the literary magazine, is vice president of his class and president of the Indian-Pakistani Club. Arjun has perfect SAT scores and has earned numerous awards in math, science, history and writing. He is a musician, skier, scuba diver and emergency room volunteer. The son of Drs. Madhav and Anuradha Suri, he plans to attend Harvard.