Judges
marvel at teen's math skill
Homeschooler nails 19th century
problem
Tuesday, December 06, 2005 • Associated
Press
WASHINGTON -- A 16-year-old California
boy won a premier high school science competition yesterday
for his innovative approach to an old math problem that
could help in the design of airplane wings.
Michael Viscardi, a senior from San
Diego, won a $100,000 college scholarship, the top
individual prize in the Siemens Westinghouse Competition in
Math, Science and Technology.
Viscardi said he's been homeschooled
since fifth grade, although he does take math classes at the
University of California at San Diego three days a week. His
father is a software engineer and his mother, who stays at
home, has a Ph.D. in neuroscience, he said.
"It's unbelievable," Viscardi said of his
win. "It's so incredible that I'm in shock right
now."
Viscardi tackled a 19th century math
problem known as the Dirichlet problem, formulated by the
mathematician Lejeune Dirichlet. The theorem Viscardi
created to solve it has potential applications in the fields
of engineering and physics, including airplane wing design.
He said he worked on it for about six months with a
professor at UCSD.
"He is a super-duper mathematics
student," said lead judge Constance Atwell, a consultant and
former research director at the National Institutes of
Health. "It was almost impossible for our judges to figure
out the limits of his understanding during our questioning.
And he's only 16 years old," she said.
Anne Lee, 17, a senior at Phoenix Country
Day School in Paradise Valley, Ariz., and Albert Shieh, 16,
a junior at Chaparral High School in Scottsdale, Ariz.,
shared the $100,000 top prize in the team category. They
improved computer technology that could help locate the
genetic roots of some inherited diseases like Alzheimer's,
autism and bipolar disorder.
Lee and Shieh met at the gene research
center at which they both have internships. They were
assisted on their project by members of the
institute.
"I would have been happy with anything,"
Shieh said.
Lee said dissecting a cow's eyeball early
in her academic career inspired and encouraged her to study
science.
As part of the winners' celebration, they
will get to ring the closing bell at the New York Stock
Exchange at the end of the business day Monday.
The Siemens Foundation, founded in 1998,
aims to increase access to higher education among gifted
students studying math, science and technology. The
foundation distributes nearly $2 million annually in
scholarships and awards.
Nineteen students competed in the
national finals -- six individuals and six teams. Besides
the winners' prizes, finalists won scholarships ranging from
$50,000 to $10,000. Team members share awards.
© 2005 The Star-Ledger. Used by NJ.com with
permission.
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