Three best out of 37 projects chosen to compete in the national final will represent VietnamSan Jose, California, the United States, which is scheduled from May 9th to May 14th 2010. in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair 2010 (Intel ISEF) in

This year, 1,611 grade students from 59 countries, regions and territories will deliver more than 1,200 projects to get a chance to win prizes of USD4 million. Intel ISEF is the number one science contest in the world which is only for students from 9th to 12th grade.

Thanh Vu, Thu Ha, Ha Uy and  Xuan Phuong

The finalists will be judged on the spot by more than 1,200 examiners who are experts in almost every scientific field, including Nobel Prize winners and Intel’s top researchers.

Three best projects by Tran Kim Thanh Vu and Dinh Thi Thu Ha (group project), Nguyen Van Ha Uy and Doan Thi Xuan Phuong (individual projects) will represent Vietnam to enter Intel ISEF in San Jose. This is the vivid testimony to the passion for science of Vietnamese students.

Rick Howarth, General Manager of Intel Products Vietnam said: “We always pay attention to finding and nurturing young talents who have great passion for science. The ultimate aim of Intel ISEF is to enhance the recognition of achievements of young people in applied learning and research.”

Tran Kim Thanh Vu and Dinh Thi Thu Ha, two 11th grade students of Da Teh High school, Lam Dong, compete with the project “Treating organic waste by fermentation method combined with earth-worm raising”. This plain, simple and feasible project aims at improving the habit of collecting and treating household waste and raising the awareness of public, especially of students, of environmental issues.

Doan Thi Xuan Phuong, a 11th grade student of Duc Trong High school, Lam Dong, participates in Intel ISEF with the project ”Using toads as the natural enemy – a solution to eradicate pests”. The project will help solve a serious problem in food safety in Vietnam while most agricultural produce contain a large amount of pesticide residue.

Unlike the other competitors, Nguyen Van Ha Uy, a 12th grade student of Le Quy Don specialized high school, Da Nang, has interest in new methods for scientific research. Specifically, Uy presented a method to measure the distance between two suspended points in space while the measurer does not need to move. If the project is successful, it will assist astronomers a lot in measuring spatial distances.

Every year, millions of students all over the world take part in science contests held by their schools and regions; the winners continue to enter national and regional contests which are linked to Intel ISEF, and the best of them will participate in ISEF. The finalists are chosen from more than 550 member competitions of ISEF all over the world.

This year, for the first time in ISEF’s history, the first prize winner will be awarded the Gordon Moore Prize – a big prize of USD75,000 from Intel Fund. The other two winners will receive the Young Scientist Prize from Intel Fund, equivalent to USD50,000.

By Huong Giang