66th Annual STS (2006-2007)
Finalists
Yieu Chyan

TEXAS
Yieu Chyan, 17, of Denton, researched ways to increase the solar energy conversion efficiency of organic photovoltaic (PV) devices for his Intel Science Talent Search project in chemistry. His studies chemically combined semiconductor nanoparticles within a conductive organic polymer network and demonstrated a small, but unmistakable, photoresponse. This combination yielded a polymer film hybrid that may be more practical and cost efficient to manufacture than current silicon-based PV devices. Yieu plans to further optimize the morphology of his thin hybrid films, which may lead to a smoother and more uniform dispersion of particles and more robust films for solar energy conversion. Yieu is a student at Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science. An accomplished violinist and pianist, he composed and conducted an award-winning piece for a Texas Music Teachers Association contest. He volunteers regularly as an attorney at the Denton Teen Court and participates in a 15 piano ensemble in the summer. The son of Dr. Oliver Chyan and Dr. Jin-Jian Chen, Yieu plans to attend MIT or Washington University at St. Louis and hopes to earn a doctorate in biochemistry.