...the kid scientist

Filipino student wins in Intel tilt, gets an asteroid as bonus

 

loQal – Wed, May 18, 2011

 

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Miguel Arnold Reyes, a graduate of Philippine Science High School, won second place …

By Alexander Villafania

PASIG CITY, METRO MANILA –Miguel Arnold Reyes will not be reaching for the stars for a while.

 He actually gets to have his name virtually carved on an asteroid, courtesy of a special award given by the prestigious Lincoln Laboratory of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Reyes participated in the Materials and Bioengineering Category of the recently concluded Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) and bagged second place Grand Award and winning for himself U$1,500 (approximately P65,000).

His project, “Synthesis and Characterization of Composite Plastics from Thermoplastic Starch and Nano-sized Calcium Phosphate for Film Packaging,” is targeted at creating a new type of environmentally safe and biodegradable plastic for packaging.

His win at ISEF also bags him an asteroid identified by the Lincoln Laboratory in its Lincoln Near Earth Asteroid Research Program (LINEAR).

Intel has a partnership with the Lincoln Laboratory, through the latter's Ceres Connection, where asteroids from LINEAR are named after deserving students in the fields of science and engineering. The Ceres Connection was started in 2003 and has since named several hundred asteroids to students.

First and second place winners in ISEF, as well as from other programs that are partnered with Ceres Connection, will be “assigned” an asteroid after winning their respective events.

With this award, the 16-year old Reyes, who is a graduate of the Philippine Science High School (PSHS), will become one of the youngest Filipinos – not just one of the few – to have a celestial body named after him.

Other Filipinos who have been given the distinction of having a celestial body named after them are former Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) Chief Dr. Roman L. Kintanar, Edwin Aguirre, Imelda Joson, PSHS Western Visayas Campus Director Josette Biyo, Allan Noriel Estrella, Jeric Valles Macalintal, Prem Vilas Fortran Rara, and Father Victor Badillo.

During a recent press conference, Reyes remained modest regarding his win in both the ISEF as well as getting a heavenly body named after him.

The soft-spoken Reyes said he hopes that other students would also pursue degrees in science as a means to become contributors to the improvement of society.

Apart from Reyes, Angeli Joyce Dy of Capiz National High School also won fourth place Grand Award for her project “Milkfish (Chanos chanos Forsskal) Serum as an Alternative Media Supplement for Culture of A549 (Human Lung) and HCT 116 (Colon) Carcinomas,” which sought to find a cheap but effective alternative for a serum used in cancer treatment.
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