2011 Virginia State Science Fair Awards for Biotechnology

The Virginia Biotechnology Association (VABIO) in conjunction with the Chesapeake Bioscience Education Foundation presented awards at the 2011 Virginia State Science and Engineering Fair on Saturday, April 2, 2011, at Old Dominion University in Norfolk. The volunteer judges studied the abstracts prior to their arrival at the Fair and then voted on the top ten projects to interview one-on-one. Photos from the competition are available here.

"Once again, the students' projects amazed the judges. It was hard to choose among so many excellent projects," said Mark Herzog, VABIO executive director.

After talking with each of the students, the judges made their final selections:

First Place: Charlotte Nina Keeley and Emily Jane Keeley
“Creating a SmartBandage: A Nanoparticle-Embedded Polymer to Detect Local Oxygen Levels in Wounds” (ENT007)
Category: Engineering: Materials and Bioengineering
Region: Charlottesville

Second Place: Choonh-Seoup Youn
“Regulation of Telomerase Activity in Prostate Cancer Cell by a Novel Protein, DEK” (CMI003)
Category: Cellular – Molecular Biology
Region: Fairfax

Third Place: Benjamin Tyler Cobb and John Conor Moran
“Identification of Novel Stress – (Cortisol) Dependent Cisplatin Resistance in Lung and Breast Cancer Cells” (CMT002)
Category: Cellular - Molecular Biology
Region: Fairfax

Thank you to our VaBIO Judges:
David Anderson, Vice President Scientific Affairs, Lyotropic Therapeutics, Inc.
Martin Chapman, President, Indoor Biotechnologies, Inc.
Michael Francis, Research Associate, LifeNet Health
Mark Herzog, Executive Director, Virginia Biotechnology Association
Eugene Maurakis, Director of Science Education, Science Museum of Virginia
Roy Ogle, Director of Regenerative Medicine, LifeNet Health
Gary Pekoe, Founder, Arkios Biodevelopment International
Patrick Sachs, Research Associate, LifeNet Health

The winners are eligible to be considered for the 2011 Virginia BioGENEius Challenge team that will compete at the national challenge in June at the BIO Convention in Washington, DC.