Kiren Pendri (CT) and Sheela Krishnan (NY) are among the 40 teens named as finalists along with Raj Ranade (CT), Amrita Saigal (MA), Soumya Irivinti (NH),  Ankit Bhatia (NY), Anusha Kambhampaty (NY), Praneet Korrapati (NY), Manish Shaha (NY), and Anand Chandran (NY) who were among the 300 semifinalist named earlier as part of the 2006 Intel Science Talent Search Competition.

Often considered the "junior Nobel Prize," the Intel STS is America's oldest, most highly regarded pre-college science competition and heir to more than six decades of science excellence.

Over the past 65 years, STS alumni have received more than 100 of the world's most coveted science and math honors including six Nobel Prizes, three National Medals of Science, 10 MacArthur Foundation Fellowships, and two Fields Medals.

This year's winners were selected from 1,558 entrants representing 486 high schools in 44 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and an overseas school. Their research projects cover all disciplines of science including biochemistry, chemistry, physics, mathematics, engineering, behavioral science and medicine and health. Students range in age from 15 to 18 with females representing 53 percent of the total entrants.

More than 100 top scientists from a variety of disciplines review and judge all Intel STS entries and examine each individual's research ability, scientific originality and creative thinking.  The finalist will take an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C. to attend the Intel Science Talent Institute. There they will participate in final judging and compete for college scholarships totaling more than $500,000. Winners will be selected based on rigorous judging sessions and announced at a black-tie banquet on March 14.

The top prize in the Intel STS is a $100,000 college scholarship. The second-place finalist receives a $75,000 scholarship, and the third-place finalist receives a $50,000 scholarship. Fourth- through sixth-place finalists are each awarded $25,000 scholarships, and seventh- through 10th-place winners receive a $20,000 scholarship. The remaining 30 finalists each receive a $5,000 scholarship. The Intel Foundation will award $1,000 to each of the semifinalists with a matching amount going to their schools.

Science Service is the nonprofit organization which has administered the Science Talent Search since its inception in 1942. The mission of Science Service is to advance the understanding and appreciation of science. In addition to its education programs, Science Service publishes the weekly magazine Science News. For more information on Science Service, visit www.sciserv.org.

Intel's long-standing commitment to education is fueled by our mission to invest not only in our business and industry, but in the future of young people. Through education programs such as the Intel Science Talent Search, Intel works to inspire and educate children in communities around the world in the areas of science, mathematics and engineering. For more information, visit www.intel.com/education.

Intel, the world leader in silicon innovation, develops technologies, products and initiatives to continually advance how people work and live. Additional information about Intel is available at www.intel.com/pressroom.

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