Newport, Irvine teens make semifinals in science competition

Two students from Irvine and Newport Beach schools were among 300 semifinalists selected in the 2015 Intel Science Talent Search, a national competition recognizing high school seniors for their scientific research.

Semifinalists Yelena Mandelshtam, 17, of University High School and Claire Goul, 18, from Sage Hill School each won a $1,000 cash prize and the chance to compete in March in Washington, D.C. Their schools also received a $1,000 cash award.

The contest holds special meaning for Goul, whose grandfather, Edward Thorp, reached the final round in the 1949 Science Talent Search, according to a Sage Hill announcement.

The annual competition — organized by The Society for Science & The Public and sponsored by Santa Clara-based corporation Intel — asks students to submit independent scientific research, among other requirements.

Goul’s winning project is “Phasor-Fluorescence Lifetime Analysis of Cancer Cell Metabolism During Cell Cycle Progression.” Mandelshtam’s won with “Arrangements of Minors in the Totally Positive Grassmannian and Sturmfels’ Triangulation.”

The two seniors were among 1,800 entrants hailing from 460 high schools in 41 states and Puerto Rico as well as five American and international high schools overseas. Finalists receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., for the final stage of the competition, when more than $1 million in prizes will be awarded. Forty finalists will be announced Jan. 21.