16-Year-Old mathematics win $100,000 in Siemens Westinghouse prizes

A 16-year-old, homeschooled California boy won a premier high school science competition Monday for his innovative approach to an old math problem that could help in the design of airplane wings.

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Michael Viscardi, a senior from San Diego, won a $100,000 college scholarship, the top individual prize in the &to=http://english.pravda.ru/comp/2002/06/11/30159.html' target=_blank>Siemens Westinghouse Competition in Math, Science and Technology.

Viscardi tackled a 19th century math problem and his new method of solving it has potential applications in the fields of engineering and physics.

"He is a super-duper &to=http://english.pravda.ru/cis/2002/08/24/35179.html' target=_blank>mathematics student," said lead judge Constance Atwell, a consultant and former research director at the National Institutes of Health. "It was almost impossible for our judges to figure out the limits of his understanding during our questioning. And he's only 16 years old," she said.

Anne Lee, 17, a senior at Phoenix Country Day School in Paradise Valley, Ariz. and Albert Shieh, 16, a junior at Chaparral High School in Scottsdale, Ariz., shared the $100,000 top prize in the team category. They improved computer technology that could help locate the genetic roots of some inherited diseases like Alzheimer's, autism and bipolar disorder, reports ABC News.

According to Here and Now, the Siemens Westinghouse Competition in Math, Science and Technology hands out $2 million in scholarship money and awards each year.

The $100,000 scholarship winner of the individual prize is Michael Viscardi of San Diego, California. He studied a complex mathematical formula and his research could have practical applications in heat flow, magnetism and electrodynamics.

The winners of the team prize are Anne Lee of Paradise Valley, Arizona and Albert Shieh of Scottsdale, Arizona. They'll split a $100,000 scholarship for developing new software that more accurately analyzes genetic data. O.Ch.

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