ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, April 8, 1997 TAG: 9704080051
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: DUBLIN
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER THE ROANOKE TIMES
Two Blacksburg students from different schools won the right to represent the region in an international science and engineering fair in Kentucky next month.
Nisha Nagarkatti, a Blacksburg High School student, not only had the exhibit with the longest title in the Blue Ridge Highlands Regional Science Fair but a top one as well.
Judges chose her "Effect of Growth of Tumor Cells Expressing FAS Ligand on Thymic Atrophy and Apoptosis in FAS-Bearing C57BL/6+/+ And FAS-Deficient C57B/61pr/1pr Mice" as one of two grand award winners in the fair, which ended Saturday.
The other was Kelly Seaton, a student at Dayspring Christian Academy in Blacksburg, with her entry titled "Artificially Lowering Hydraulic Conductivity of Porous Media."
They were among 247 students from 24 schools who entered 223 individual and team projects in the sixth annual fair, co-sponsored by New River and Wytheville community colleges. Don Linzey, regional fair director and a faculty member at Wytheville, said those figures compare to 124 students with 124 entries during the fair's first year "just to show you how this fair has continued to grow."
Both students will get an all-expense-paid trip to Louisville, Ky., to compete in the 48th annual Intel International Science & Engineering Fair for thousands of dollars in prizes, four-year scholarships to more than 20 of the nation's best colleges and universities, and other awards including trips to science gatherings in five other countries.
Brooke Copeland, a Pulaski County High School student, was chosen as an alternate in case one of the other students is unable to go. Her exhibit was "Red Maple Leaf Toxicosis in Equus caballus."
Nagarkatti, Seaton and Copeland also placed first in their respective categories of medicine and health, earth and space sciences, and zoology.
Besides awards from the fair itself, various student participants won scholarships, Savings Bonds, scientific instruments and other awards from educational institutions and organizations, science agencies and the armed forces.
Nagarkatti's entry won special awards from the Blacksburg and Wytheville chapters of the American Association of University Women. She, Seaton and Copeland each won a U.S. Navy/Marine Corps Distinguished Achievement Award. Seaton took an additional special award from the Association of Women Geoscientists. More than 90 judges made the selections.
"Our winners here do extremely well in the competitions that follow," said New River President Ed Barnes in his welcome.
Both Nagarkatti and Seaton also won awards for their projects at the Virginia Junior Science and Humanities Symposium in March.
Listed below are students from the New River Valley who competed and won awards at Saturday's fair.
Senior Division
Behavioral and Social Sciences - Ellen Taylor, first, Southwest Virginia Governor's School; Thomas Westermoreland III, third, Pulaski County High.
Biochemistry - Freedom Kelley, first, Giles High
Botany - Brent Surber, first, Southwest Virginia Governor's School; Clay Davis, third, Southwest Virginia Governor's School.
Chemistry - Chris Almond, first, Dayspring Christian Academy.
Earth and Space Science - Kelly Seaton, first, Dayspring Christian Academy; Kevin Liu, third, Southwest Virginia Governor's School.
Engineering - Shane Moses, first, Pulaski County High; Benjamin O'Dell, second, Southwest Virginia Governor's School; Paul Caldwell, third, Blacksburg High.
Mathematics - King Chan, first, Southwest Virginia Governor's School; Mario Machi, third, Southwest Virginia Governor's School.
Medicine and Health - Nisha Nagarkatti, first, Blacksburg High; Mary Jenkins, second, Southwest Virginia Governor's School; Sabrina Kramer, third, Southwest Virginia Governor's School.
Microbiology - Armistead Booker III, first, Pulaski County High; Sumeet Sarin, second, Blacksburg High; Clarence Farmer III, third, Southwest Virginia Governor's School.
Physics - Felicity Lanier, first, Southwest Virginia Governor's School; Nathan Diller, second, Dayspring Christian Academy.
Zoology - Brooke Copeland, first, Pulaski County; Kristen Beeler, third, Southwest Virginia Governor's School.
Team - Biological - Azeem Sherali and Arash Mostoghimi, first place, Blacksburg High; Barry Bourne and David Hauver, second, Southwest Virginia Governor's School.
LENGTH: Medium: 91 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: GENE DALTON THE ROANOKE TIMES. 1. Students stand inby CNBfront of their projects as they wait to be interviewed by judges
during the Blue Ridge Highlands Regional Science Fair on Saturday.
(headshots) 2. Nagarkatti. 3. Seaton. color.