National Finals of Premier High School Science Competition Comes to New York City, December 5 - 8, 2008 NEW YORK, Dec. 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- WHAT: The battle for the most coveted science prize awarded to American high school students reaches its grand finale the first weekend in December as the National Finals of the prestigious Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology come to New York University. (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070904/SIEMENSLOGO ) WHO: America's science superstars reveal exciting new research projects as they contend for the top prize of $100,000. Past winners have done the extraordinary: Sought to isolate the next generation of anti-tuberculosis drugs, discovered a tumor-resistant gene to help combat breast cancer, solved age-old math problems and even looked for ways to harness energy from ocean tides. This year's eighteen National Finalists hail from California, Georgia, Indiana, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Missouri, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, Texas and Oregon. These remarkable students have: -- Proposed a novel computer systems method to improve the quality of machine translation from one language to another -- Found new strategies to regulate cholesterol levels on the cellular level -- Designed a specialized coating aimed to prevent hospital treatment side effects -- Combined traditional genetics with cutting edge computational modeling to streamline the gene discovery process -- Optimized performance of multi-core processors, making intricate simulation available (like that of space shuttle re-entry) on desktop computers versus a "supercomputer" MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES THROUGHOUT THE COMPETITION INCLUDE: WHEN: Friday 12/5: Students arrive in New York Saturday 12/6 8:30am-1:30pm: Student exhibition set up (Room 914) 5:00pm-6:30pm: Public viewing of student exhibition (Room 914) Sunday 12/7 8:00am-3:30pm: Students present to the judges (E&L Auditorium) Monday 12/8 9:30am-11:30am: PRESS CONFERENCE TO ANNOUNCE WINNERS (E&L Auditorium) WHERE: Kimmel Center at New York University, 60 Washington Square South, New York City MORE: The Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology is a signature program of the Siemens Foundation, which provides more than $7 million in support of educational initiatives in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math in the United States. The Siemens Competition is administered by the College Board. More information can be found at http://www.siemens-foundation.org/, where on December 8, 2008 at 9:30 am EST you are invited to view a live webcast of the National Finals Award Presentation and press conference. MEDIA CONTACTS: Valerie Francois Siemens Foundation 732-590-5292 Alexander Aizenberg Weber Shandwick 212-445-8414 Jennifer Sheeley Weber Shandwick 212-445-8430 http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070904/SIEMENSLOGO http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Siemens Foundation CONTACT: Valerie Francois of Siemens Foundation, +1-732-590-5292, ; or Alexander Aizenberg, +1-212-445-8414, , or Jennifer Sheeley, +1-212-445-8430, , both of Weber Shandwick Web Site: http://www.siemens-foundation.org/

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