2007-08 Press Releases
Katie Everett of Ann Arbor, Michigan and Jessica Palmer of Ossining, New York Each Win $50,000 College Scholarship in YES Competition
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Katie Everett from Huron High School in Ann Arbor, Michigan and Jessica Palmer of Ossining High School in Ossining, New York, were each awarded a $50,000 college scholarship today for taking first-place honors in the Young Epidemiology Scholars (YES) Competition, one of the nation's most prestigious and influential high school science competitions.
The YES Competition, sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and administered by the College Board, is designed to spur students' interest in the field of public health, specifically epidemiology. Epidemiology explores patterns of disease, illness and injury within populations, with the goal of developing methods for prevention, control, and treatment to improve health.
About the Projects
Katie, a high school senior, recognized that the results of a 2004 sociology study on adolescent sexual networks could significantly change our understanding of how the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine reduces new HPV infections in adolescents. Her study, Chains of Infection: A Sexual-Network Based Model Evaluating the Impact of Human Papillomavirus Vaccination on Infection Prevalence in an Adolescent Population, features an innovative mathematic model she developed as part of the project.
Katie's model utilizes the findings from the 2004 study to test the effects of different levels of vaccination in adolescent girls or boys to prevent the spread of HPV. She found that the effectiveness of the HPV vaccine to prevent new infections among adolescents was two to three times greater than the previous research, based on adult sexual networks, had shown.
Restricted and repetitive behavior is one of the defining features of autism, however most research has focused on the social and communicative aspects of autism. Jessica's study, Examining Repetitive Behaviors in Parents and Siblings of Individuals with Autism, is one of the first studies to examine the presence of repetitive behaviors in siblings and parents of autistic children.
She studied more than 140 relatives of autistic children and compared them to 90 relatives of normally developing children over a two-year period. She found that non-autistic siblings of children with autism are more likely to display repetitive behaviors and a preference for routine. Jessica's project was inspired by her volunteer work with autistic children in her community.
YES competitors each developed a research project in which they identified a health problem, gathered data about the issue, and developed a solution based on the data they compiled. Katie and Jessica were selected from among 60 high school student finalists, who were chosen from more than 550 students from across the country who submitted projects. The 60 students competed in the final competition held in Washington, D.C., April 4-7. During the competition, each student presented his or her project and fielded questions from a panel of judges that included some of the nation's top epidemiologists, as well as high school teachers and curriculum developers.
"The YES Competition encourages students to use the same skills and research methodologies employed by expert epidemiologists to tackle today's most pressing public health problems," said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, M.D., M.B.A., president and chief executive officer of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. "The projects presented by Katie and Jessica displayed creative thinking and strong analytical skills. Their work is the perfect example of how today's youth can shape the future of public health research and make a meaningful difference."
While the highly competitive scholarship contest focuses on epidemiology, application of the research skills demonstrated by all students who participated in the YES Competition has the potential to extend far beyond the field.
"The YES Competition was developed to help students hone their skills in using research methods and critical thinking to identify new ideas that may help address some of the major public health issues we face today," said Gaston Caperton, president of the College Board. "We congratulate this year's winners—the skill they have demonstrated here in Washington, D.C., will serve them well as they move on to college and pursue a career in epidemiology."
Read about the national winners: 2007-08 National First-Place Winners.