Google Announces Global Science Fair Winners

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STEVE INSKEEP, host:

Some other news. Google has announced the winners of its first global science fair. As NPR's Wendy Kaufman reports, it was a clean sweep for young women.

WENDY KAUFMAN: Seventeen-year-old Shree Bose of Fort Worth, Texas took home the grand prize for her work on drug resistance in treating ovarian cancer. To say she was surprised would be an understatement.

Ms. SHREE BOSE: I was, I mean to be presenting in front of Nobel Laureates and to be judged by them and then to be picked as a science fair winner by them, that just doesn't happen every day.

(Soundbite of laughter)

KAUFMAN: Bose' first foray into science fair competition occurred when she as in second grade. She tried to find out if kids would eat more spinach if it were blue instead of green, but she neglected to water her plants. Today, her research is a lot more sophisticated, involving cancer cells and proteins. She won a $50,000 scholarship, along with a 10-day expedition to the Galapagos for her efforts.

Ms. BOSE: Throughout my entire life I've always loved science. I've loved watching it, doing it, understanding it mostly, and now to be able to explain science to other people, that's the biggest step for me as a scientist.

KAUFMAN: Some 10,000 students entered the competition and in the end three women, including Bose were declared the winners in their age brackets. One of the others looked at how different marinades could reduce carcinogens in grilled chicken, while the third winner examined the effect of air pollution on asthma.

World class science and technology companies are always on the lookout for talent and they hope competitions like this encourage more young people to study science and engineering.

Wendy Kaufman, NPR News.

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