Kathleen ’12 places second at ISEF
At the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) on May 13, Kathleen ’12 placed second out of 79 students in her category, Microbiology, and received a $1,500 prize for her project “Beta-lactam antibiotics stimulate non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae biofilm formation in vitro.”
She was among 1,500 high school students representing 65 countries who displayed their independent research at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
Kathleen’s project studied the antibiotics prescribed to combat otitis media, a middle ear infection prevalent in children. She discovered that certain sub-lethal concentrations of these antibiotics will stimulate rather than inhibit biofilm formation, worsening the infection.
To qualify for ISEF, Kathleen placed first in her category at the Los Angeles County Science Fair. She placed second in her category at the California State Science Fair.
Kathleen said that she enjoyed meeting other like-minded student scientists at the competitions, and she was especially surprised by her strong performance at ISEF.
“I was very excited to meet other students from around the world who were interested in research,” she said. “Placing at ISEF almost didn’t feel real at first; the judging was a lot more intense than it was at County or State.”
-Celine ’11
Swaniker speaks about leadership
On Monday, May 16, African Leadership Academy founder and CEO Fred Swaniker met with interested students in the Board Room to discuss leadership and the importance of teaching African adolscents to be their own leaders.
Located in Johannesburg, South Africa, the African Leadership Academy is a two-year intensive academic program for girls and boys aged 16-19 that works to educate Africa’s future leaders, with entry based solely on merit.
Swaniker, a native of Ghana, said he believes that the key to Africa’s future development lies in educating students to be business people and leaders, so that African countries can begin to compete with the more developed nations worldwide.
“Africa won’t come out of poverty unless we become entrepreneurs, but we still cling to our colonial legacy,” Swaniker said.
-Mikaela ’13
