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Temecula student named 2012 Intel Science Talent Search Semifinalist
Ashley Bianco, a 17-year-old senior at River Springs Charter School in Temecula, has been selected as one of 300 semifinalist winners from across the country in the Intel Science Talent Search.
The "Intel STS" is the nation's most prestigious pre-college science competition. Last year there were 1,839 applicants for the 2012 honor. They represented 497 high schools in 44 states, the District of Columbia and three overseas schools. Ashley, a Palm Springs resident, worked through the rigorous application process last fall. In October she sent judges her winning research: "Screening for Genes Involved in Floral Determinacy in Arabidopsis thaliana". Now, as an Intel STS 2012 semifinalist, Ashley wins $1,000 in recognition of her outstanding work, and River Springs Charter wins an equal award to further excellence in science, math and/or engineering education.
This is not Ashley's first honor in science. She has represented River Springs for the past three years at the RIMS Inland Science Fair, winning one silver and two gold medals. She has won honorable mention at the California Science Fair. She has been honored by the UC Riverside Center for Plant Cell Biology. She's also in her second year of work at the UCR Genomics Lab, where she has studied stem cell mutations.
"We're really pleased for Ashley," said Riverside County Superintendent of Schools Kenneth M. Young. "Every time this happens, it helps other Riverside County students to realize that this kind of success can be within their reach, too."
This is Riverside County's second consecutive year in the Intel spotlight. Last year's most distinguished Riverside County science student, Jessica Richeri of Centennial High (Corona-Norco USD) won third place overall in electrical engineering, competing against students from around the world in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. Her work in creating an autonomous robotic vehicle had also been a star project of the Inland's RIMS Science and Engineering Fair.
"We are proud of Ashley Bianco's accomplishments, growing out of the work she began on her science fair project" said Yamileth Shimojyo, a coordinator of the RIMS fair for the Riverside County Office of Education. "She has excelled and is a great example of a student focused on a STEM career."
For information contact:
Rick Peoples,
Public Information Officer
Telephone: (951) 826-6642
Fax: (951) 826-6199
rpeoples@rcoe.us |
