Young scientists honored for research.

Legions of high school science enthusiasts converged on Mississippi Beach, Miss., last week for the 44th International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF). The May 9 to 15 event attracted 831 students, who brought with them projects previously exhibited in ISEF-affiliated fairs held in 46 U.S. states, Guam, American Samoa, Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, and 16 foreign nations.

For many, their work garnered monetary rewards as well as praise from adult scientists.

Two students received the Glenn T. Seaborg Nobel Prize Visit Award: a trip to Stockholm, Sweden, in December to witness the Nobel prize ceremonies. Lana Israel, a senior at North Miami Beach Senior High School in North Miami Beach, Fla., won recognition for five years of research on an innovative learning technique -- mind mapping -- that enables students to better organize, process, and communicate information. Mahesh Kalyana Mahanthappa, a senior at Fairview High School in Boulder, Colo., received his Seaborg prize for providing a more general solution to an equation first solved in 1913 by Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan.

Two students earned all-expenses-paid trips to the European Community Contest for Young Scientists in Berlin, Germany, in September, where they will represent the United States but not compete for awards. Robert John Knorr, a senior at Sawyer Public School in Sawyer, N.D., will exhibit his genetic study of the interaction between soybean plants and nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Lea Gabrielle Potts, a senior at Mount Vernon High School in Alexandria, Va., will present her research on the formation of synthetic diamond crystals on surfaces.

George C. Lee, a senior at Mission San Jose High School in Fremont, Calif., won a scholarship to the Bessie Lawrence International Summer Science Institute at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, for his research on the feasibility of using microbes to break down oil spills.

In three ceremonies, Science Service, Inc., of Washington, D.C., which administers the annual ISEF, and dozens of academic, corporate, and federal sponsors presented 624 individual prizes to students who demonstrated excellence and creativity in their research. The prizes ranged from $75 cash awards to $8,000 college scholarships, computers, and overseas trips.

ISEF organizers added a new category this year -- team projects -- to encourage participation by more students. The collaborative projects, involving up to three students, are intended to give students a feel for how many professional scientists do their work, ISEF officials say.