Two Centennial High School students have been named semifinalists in a prestigious science competition dubbed the "junior Nobel Prize."
Seniors Peter Kamel and Henry Zheng are two of 300 students nationwide who are semifinalists in the Intel Science Talent Search. The students learned of their honors in the pre-college contest on Jan. 14.
Each student earned a $1,000 prize and $2,000 for the school.
Zheng's research focuses on the application of data fusion for prosthetic systems. Kamel's research addresses artificial tissue design. Both students' research has been done in conjunction with their Gifted and Talented resource teacher Michelle Bagley. The students also worked with mentors: Dr. Soumya Acharya at the Johns Hopkins University Thakor Lab for Zheng, and Dr. Emad Boctor at Johns Hopkins Hospital for Kamel.
"It's pretty significant," Principal Carl Perkins said. "We are very proud of it."
On Wednesday, 40 of the 300 semifinalists will be selected as finalists and take part in a weeklong event in Washington, where they will compete for a grand prize of $100,000. Each finalist will receive at least $5,000 and a new laptop computer. This year's semifinalists were selected from 1,608 entrants, and come from 36 states, the District of Columbia and schools in India and South Korea.
Absenteeism soars on Inauguration Day
Many county students and teachers didn't want to watch the presidential inauguration from their classrooms - they wanted to be active participants.
There were 527 requests for absences among teachers, compared with the normal of about 350. All but 91 of the absences were filled by substitutes, according to school system spokeswoman Patti Caplan. Schools doubled up classrooms or found other solutions to address the shortage.
"They [schools] are used to times when they do not have subs," Caplan said.
Fewer students attended school, too, Caplan said. Sixteen elementary schools, 13 middle schools, one high school and Cedar Lane School all reported at least 10 percent absenteeism. On an average day, the absenteeism rate for the system on the whole is 4 percent, she said.
Expulsion likely for teen who had gun at center
A 15-year-old boy charged with bringing a gun to Homewood Center this month will probably be expelled under school system policy because of the offense, spokeswoman Patti Caplan said.
Caplan said extenuating circumstances such as students with special needs or students younger than 16 could warrant an appeal.
