Since my high school days the most prestigious science talent search was
concucted by Westinghouse and it has now been taken over by Intel.  To be
a semi-finalist from all over the country is already a distinction, and to
be among the 40 national finalists invited to Washington, DC, guarantees
you, I believe, a scholarship to any college or university of your choice
in addition to any prize you might obtain from Intel.  I thought readers
might be interested in the student who placed fifth among the forty
finalists, and his project:

   Fifth Place:  a $25,000 scholarship was awarded to Michael Theprathan
   Hasper, 18, of Tallahassee, Fla., a student at Maclay School, for
   his physics project titled "Violin Bridge:  Will the Stradivarius
   Legend Continue?" For his project, Hasper, who has played the violin
   since age 6, tested the properties of 11 bridges that he made of
   wood, metal or other materials.  He concluded that no single bridge
   created the best sound for each of the four violin strings.  Michael
   has won numerous math, music, sailing and science competitions,
   including a Grand Award and First Place Physics award at the Intel
   International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF).

see http://www.intel.com/pressroom/archive/releases/20010312corp.htm

The Website doesn't explain how young Mr.  Hasper determined the "best
sound" or why what seems to be a serial testing of 11 bridges fashioned
out of different materials qualifies that project for such a high prize,
especially when compared w/ some of the other project described on that
Web site.

Walter Meyer