The award winners of the Intel STS 2009 at the Awards Gala

Since 1942, Society for Science & the Public (SSP) has offered the world-renowned Science Talent Search (STS). Each year, this nationwide competition - America's oldest and most highly regarded pre-college science contest - encourages talented U.S. high school seniors to pursue independent research in science, math, engineering and medicine. In 1998, Intel became the new sponsor of this nationwide competition.

Over six decades, more than 120,000 students from American high schools in all 50 states and U.S. territories have completed independent research projects and submitted STS entries. Each completed entry consists of a written description of the student's independent research, plus a lengthy entry form that elicits evidence of the student excellence and accomplishments.

Over 2,600 STS Finalists have received more than $3.8 million in scholarships to support their college educations, and 18,000 semifinalists have received millions more in scholarships and financial assistance as a result of winning honors in the annual Science Talent Search.

Celebrating 60 years of Science – read a historical portrait of the Science Talent Search from 1942 to 2001 [35 Mb PDF]

SCIENCE TALENT SEARCH Alumni Honors [More Info]

Each year the annual STS caps generations of remarkable achievements. With amazing precision, STS judges have identified leading research scientists, mathematicians, and physicians while they were still in high school, years before their professional careers began. The result? More than 100 of the world's most coveted science and math honors have been won by alumni of this program.

• Seven Finalists have won the Nobel Prize.
• Two have earned the Fields Medal, the Nobel equivalent in math.
• Three have been awarded National Medals of Science.
• Ten have won MacArthur Foundation Fellowships, the so-called "genius awards."
• 56 have been named Sloan Research Fellows.
• 30 have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences.
• Five have been elected to the National Academy of Engineering.

The Evaluation and Judging Process

STS entrants are evaluated by a dedicated panel of pre-eminent scientific professionals and are then judged by a board of 12 distinguished scientists from a variety of disciplines. Chairman of the judges is Dr. Andrew Yeager, Director of the Blood and Marrow Transplantation Program, University Medical Center affiliated with The University of Arizona.

• The top 300 entrants are announced as semifinalists in mid-January.
• In late January, from among the 300 semifinalists. 40 Finalists are announced. Each will attend the Intel Science Talent Institute to compete for top awards.

SCIENCE TALENT INSTITUTE®

In March the 40 Finalists travel to Washington, D.C., where they undergo final judging during the Science Talent Institute®. On the basis of interviews and presentation on research, 10 top award winners are selected, including the top winner who is provided a $100,000 scholarship. While in Washington, Finalists display their prize-winning exhibits at the prestigious National Academy of Sciences. There they describe their research to thousands of visitors, many of them important figures in the governmental and scientific communities, promoting independent, inquiry-based scientific research. Each year younger, highly motivated students who plan to enter the Intel Science Talent Search during their senior year are inspired at this public exhibition. Additionally, Finalists visit Washington's historic, scientific and cultural sights. Past winners have met with the President and First Lady, the Vice President and distinguished science advisers.

On the final evening, Finalists are honored at a black tie gala announcing the top winners. Yet, what the students say they value most is the opportunity to meet and interact with each other, their scientific peers, often for the first time. For decades, friendships and professional associations made during the Science Talent Institute continue through college and beyond.