A 17-year-old high school senior from San Diego has taken the top spot and a $100,000 scholarship prize from the Intel Science Talent Search contest.
Eric Chen of Canyon Crest Academy beat out around 1,800 contest entrants with his research in influenza-preventing drugs, according to U-T San Diego.
"I was incredibly excited. I had no idea I was going to win," Chen told U-T San Diego soon after the news was announced. "If I had placed between fifth and tenth, I would have been incredibly happy."
The project he entered into the prestigious national science and math competition looked at drugs that could potentially prevent influenza. Chen used "computer supermodeling" as well as experiments to identify influenza-inhibiting drugs, research that can further discoveries.
He was mentored by two professors from the University of California San Diego, which has already applied for patents on the potential anti-flu drugs.
Chen was humble after his win, saying he was surprised because of how impressive the other 40 finalists were.
"I felt like a lot of the other students, they blew me away," he said. "Not only their projects but just how smart they were, how they could think differently than the average person."
The 17-year-old has been accepted to Stanford and Harvard universities but hasn't yet decided where he will attend in the fall. Chen has already won $250,000 total in prize money at various science competitions this year and plans to compete in a math competition at his school later this week and two upcoming science competitions.
The scholarship money will definitely be a help to his family, especially since his sister is premed at UCLA, said his father, Longchuan Chen, a researcher in diagnostics at the VA Hospital in San Diego.
Whichever school he decides on, the Canyon Crest Academy senior is well on his way to great things.
"There's a history of people going on to have great careers in science," Longchuan Chen said. "I think it will be something that Eric will remember to encourage himself, to remind himself to do something great."
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