The Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce are honored to have awarded the achievements of the 2011 $5,000 Life Sciences Student Award Columbus Scholar:

Amy Chyao

Senior
Plano East Senior High School
Plano, TX.

Since first grade, Amy has conducted a science fair project each year. From her own quirky theory that the atmosphere was gradually expanding, to her numerous experiments on bean seedlings, science always intrigued her. She eagerly selected Marie Curie for her first grade "most admired person" project. Years later, when Amy traveled to Warsaw, Poland to attend a physics research program, she visited Marie Curie's home. Walking into the tiny room Marie Curie lived in, Amy felt the enormous impact she had made. Marie Curie dedicated her life to discoveries that contributed significantly to sciences of the world. Amy was determined to follow her example.

Amy's passion for science led her to a unique opportunity offered by the University of Texas at Dallas. She joined the 2009 Nano-Explorers summer program and stepped into the intricate world of nanotechnology. Her passion for science propelled her to work hard and to excel. In 2010, she was the winner of the first Gordon Moore Award at the Intel ISEF. She had the honor to attend President Obama's 2011 State of the Union Address.

As an International Baccalaureate student and the top student of her class of 1,488, Amy values challenging courses her school offered as well as the opportunities to develop her leadership skills. In addition to being named a National AP Scholar in her sophomore year, Amy has served as an officer in many school clubs. She is a student Advisor on the Plano Youth Leadership board, a volunteer attorney for Teen Court, and the founder of a non-profit organization Spell Success. From savoring arroz con pollo with her friends in Spanish Club to playing cello in three different orchestras, Amy thrives while exploring all aspects of student life.

Amy continues to work hard to become a next generation scientist who contributes to the community in positive ways.

The Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce are honored to have awarded the achievements of the 2011 $5,000 Life Sciences Student Award Columbus Scholar:

Kayla Dowell

Junior
Germann Hills Christian School
Manhattan, Kansas

In 2008, Kayla showed that near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) could measure the protein, fat and moisture content of eggs by scanning the egg through the shell.

Intrigued by the ability of NIRS to measure traits of biological materials, in 2009 she worked at the malaria research lab in Tanzania, Africa, where she applied the technique to evaluate a method to determine age and species of preserved mosquitoes that transmit malaria. The results have prompted international interest, including one peer-reviewed publication, a poster presented at an international meeting by a co-author, submission of a second paper for journal review, and additional studies currently underway by Tanzanian, Kenyan and Nigerian scientists.

In 2010, Kayla worked at a medical clinic at an orphanage in Zimbabwe where she became interested in the extract of a local plant, Artemisia annua, which is used to cure malaria. She showed that NIRS could be used to determine the artemisinin content in plant extracts, and this could be used to rapidly evaluate new cultivars of this important cure for a disease that kills over 1 million people each year. This technique could be used to help develop open-pollinated plants to replace current Artemisia hybrids which are more expensive.

Kayla won first place and Best Research Project, 2008 Kansas Junior Academy of Science, and received an all-expense paid trip to Chicago's American Academy of Sciences in 2009 for her "Does added protein in a hen's diet affect the number of eggs laid?" She won second place, Division 1 in the Kansas Science and Engineering Fair which included a trip to the International Science and Engineering Fair in 2009. She was a finalist in the Kansas BioGENEius Challenge (top 7 students from KS), and first place in 2011 Wamego Regional Science and Engineering Fair.

Kayla will be a senior in high school this Fall, and plans to go to Kansas State University after graduation. She is fascinated with the field of medicine, and plans on becoming a medical doctor and go overseas to do research and medical missions work.

The Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce are honored to have awarded the achievements of the 2011 $5,000 Life Sciences Student Award Columbus Scholar:

Christopher Duncan-Lewis

Senior
Winter Springs High School
Winter Springs, Florida

From a young age, Christopher has shown interest in the medicine and health sciences. Excelling in science courses, Christopher undertook a significant research project during his junior and senior high school years.

In his study, Christopher demonstrated the harmful effects of certain compounds (those possessing a divalent cation) on the sense of smell. One of the compounds he tested had been used in a popular homeopathic nasal spray. Christopher believes that the results of his research provide evidence against the use of such compounds in the nasal passage, and have the potential to increase our understanding of the sense of smell. His research report has been accepted for publication in Comparative Medicine, a medical journal.

Christopher spends much of his free time playing the piano. With over 13 years of training as a classical pianist, he frequently performs at churches and local events and has worked as an accompanist. Additionally, Christopher has served as a volunteer laboratory technician at the University of Central Florida.

He is a National Achievement Scholar, AP Scholar, and AXA Achievement Scholar. In addition to many other awards, Christopher won second prize in medicine and health at the 2011 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair.

Christopher will attend the University of Pennsylvania in the Fall, majoring in biochemistry. He hopes to pursue a career in biomedical research.