In a year where a record number of applicants entered the Intel Science Talent Search, Syosset High School senior Daniel Choi has emerged as one of 40 Finalists selected to compete for scholarships in Washington, DC.

Intel reported that they received entries from 1,642 students, of which 300 were named Semi-finalists. Earlier this month, Choi learned that he was one of those Semi-finalists, along with Syosset students Neil Haranhalli, Kun Li, and Todd Rubin. All four received $1,000 college scholarships, and each also earned a $1,000 grant for the Syosset High School Research Program. On January 28, Choi was named a Finalist in the competition that is often referred to as the "Junior Nobel Prize."

As a Finalist, Choi will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, DC, where he will compete for college scholarships totaling more than $500,000 and the top scholarship of $100,000 on March 11-16. During that time, Choi will be presenting his project several times at public exhibitions, and will also present his project to a panel of judges. In addition to the judging his research project, Choi will participate in interviews in which he will be tested on the breadth of his knowledge of his area of expertise, and also on related areas of science.

"The judges select the top winners based on more than the scope of their research project," said Syosset Research Program Facilitator Angela Lukaszewski. "They want to choose students who have achieved a very high level of understanding of the research process and have learned new information that can ultimately be used by the scientific community. Daniel definitely exemplifies that kind of student."

Choi first thought of the possibility of creating a bacteria-powered fuel cell after reading a science fiction novel in which energy was drawn from a plant. At the beginning of his junior year he decided that he wanted to explore the development of such a fuel cell and took the initiative to find the mentors and the research facilities that would enable him to conduct his research. He found his mentors at the Center for Biotechnology at SUNY Stony Brook, and worked under the supervision of Dr. Anil Dhundale and Melissa Monaghan.

Choi explained that the fuel cell he has developed can be likened to a sugar-powered battery that may eventually be used for powering an implanted medical device such as a pacemaker. "The pacemaker would be powered directly from resources drawn from the bloodstream, making it more reliable than using an artificial power source," he said. Choi is planning on continuing in this field of research as a biomedical engineering major at Harvard this September.

The second-place finalist receives a $75,000 scholarship, and the third-place finalist receives a $50,000 scholarship. Fourth through sixth-place finalists each receive a $25,000 scholarship, and seventh through tenth place finalists each will receive a $20,000 scholarship. The remaining 30 finalists will each receive a $5,000 scholarship award, and all students attending the week-long competition receive a new notebook computer.

"Daniel is going to Washington with the entire Syosset Schools community wishing him further success," said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Carole G. Hankin. We are so proud to have been able to provide the research program that led to Daniel's achievements."