Memorial High senior Suvai Gunasekaran
Young local scientist makes the finals of national competition
Young local scientist makes the finals of national competition
fact, is considered the most prestigious pre-college science competition in the nation. Seven former Intel Science Talent Search finalists have gone on to win
the Nobel Prize. Other finalists have been awarded the National Medal of Science and the Fields Medal. According to Intel, these finalists are our country’s next
great innovators.
“These amazing young scientists are our country’s greatest hope,” Intel chairman Craig Barrett says. “They represent the best of our education system and
are a timely reminder that investing in the next generation of innovators is critical for the future of America.”
The president of Society for Science & the Public (SSP), a non-profit focused on public engagement in scientific research and education that administers the
talent search, echoes this sentiment.
“Answering the call of critical challenges in medicine, technology and the environment, the 40 finalists of the Intel STS 2009 are making real impact on
our world through their independent research, while serving as inspiration to the next generation of young researchers,” SSP President Elizabeth Marincola says.
In March, Gunasekaran will head to Washington D.C. for a week where she will undergo further judging, display her research, and meet with national and
scientific leaders. On Mar. 10, the top winners will be announced at a gala award ceremony at the Mellon Auditorium.
“I wasn’t expecting to be a finalist,” Gunasekaran admits. “It’s really exciting. I’m happy that I will go and represent Wisconsin.”
Gunasekaran, an Indian American student whose father is an engineering professor at UW-Madison and whose mother is a computer and electronic
engineer, says she is considering engineering or science as a possible career path. Her research paper, which tackles bacteria growth on devices implanted into
the human body, is certainly a good start.
“When we implant devices in the body, bacteria can grow on them,” Gunasekaran says. “When bacterial colonies form, they can produce biofilm.” The most
dangerous aspect to biofilms is that they are much more resistant to antibiotics, she explains. “In a biofilm, the bacteria can communicate with each other by
sending each other signals. Bacteria alone can be treated by antibiotics, but when they form a biofilm, the antibiotics can’t penetrate that.”
Gunasekaran first researched this topic during a summer internship research program at UW-Madison where she worked with the school’s Chemical and
Biological Engineering program in collaboration with the Chemistry Department. Her research paper introduces possible solutions for combatting the potentially
deadly biofilms. She explains how to potentially block biofilm signals by using polymers to incorporate synthetic compounds onto the surfaces of implanted
devices. The compounds would then interfere with the naturally occurring chemical signals of the biofilms.
“The final goal of what we wanted to do, is to coat the device with polymeric solution so the biofilm does not produce,” she says
It is this research that landed Gunasekaran the much sought-after title as an Intel Science Talent Search finalist. Yet, another important aspect to the
judges is that the finalists are well rounded. Gunasekaran easily lives up to that standard. She is currently the editor-in-chief at Memorial’s newspaper Sword and
Shield. She is the president of Memorial’s Spartan Youth Service Club, captain of the Science Olympiad club, a math tutor, and a varsity tennis player. Among
other awards, Gunasekaran has been named a National AP Scholar and a National Merit Scholar.
“What I really like about my daughter is her commitment and work ethic,” father Sundaram Gunasekaran says. “She is very fastidious about what she does.
We are really proud.”
Suvai Gunasekaran will soon head off to Washington D.C. to learn if she is an Intel Science Talent Search top winner. For her, however, being named a
finalist is honor enough. There is no doubt, regardless of the competition’s outcome, that Gunasekaran is well on the way to success.
the Nobel Prize. Other finalists have been awarded the National Medal of Science and the Fields Medal. According to Intel, these finalists are our country’s next
great innovators.
“These amazing young scientists are our country’s greatest hope,” Intel chairman Craig Barrett says. “They represent the best of our education system and
are a timely reminder that investing in the next generation of innovators is critical for the future of America.”
The president of Society for Science & the Public (SSP), a non-profit focused on public engagement in scientific research and education that administers the
talent search, echoes this sentiment.
“Answering the call of critical challenges in medicine, technology and the environment, the 40 finalists of the Intel STS 2009 are making real impact on
our world through their independent research, while serving as inspiration to the next generation of young researchers,” SSP President Elizabeth Marincola says.
In March, Gunasekaran will head to Washington D.C. for a week where she will undergo further judging, display her research, and meet with national and
scientific leaders. On Mar. 10, the top winners will be announced at a gala award ceremony at the Mellon Auditorium.
“I wasn’t expecting to be a finalist,” Gunasekaran admits. “It’s really exciting. I’m happy that I will go and represent Wisconsin.”
Gunasekaran, an Indian American student whose father is an engineering professor at UW-Madison and whose mother is a computer and electronic
engineer, says she is considering engineering or science as a possible career path. Her research paper, which tackles bacteria growth on devices implanted into
the human body, is certainly a good start.
“When we implant devices in the body, bacteria can grow on them,” Gunasekaran says. “When bacterial colonies form, they can produce biofilm.” The most
dangerous aspect to biofilms is that they are much more resistant to antibiotics, she explains. “In a biofilm, the bacteria can communicate with each other by
sending each other signals. Bacteria alone can be treated by antibiotics, but when they form a biofilm, the antibiotics can’t penetrate that.”
Gunasekaran first researched this topic during a summer internship research program at UW-Madison where she worked with the school’s Chemical and
Biological Engineering program in collaboration with the Chemistry Department. Her research paper introduces possible solutions for combatting the potentially
deadly biofilms. She explains how to potentially block biofilm signals by using polymers to incorporate synthetic compounds onto the surfaces of implanted
devices. The compounds would then interfere with the naturally occurring chemical signals of the biofilms.
“The final goal of what we wanted to do, is to coat the device with polymeric solution so the biofilm does not produce,” she says
It is this research that landed Gunasekaran the much sought-after title as an Intel Science Talent Search finalist. Yet, another important aspect to the
judges is that the finalists are well rounded. Gunasekaran easily lives up to that standard. She is currently the editor-in-chief at Memorial’s newspaper Sword and
Shield. She is the president of Memorial’s Spartan Youth Service Club, captain of the Science Olympiad club, a math tutor, and a varsity tennis player. Among
other awards, Gunasekaran has been named a National AP Scholar and a National Merit Scholar.
“What I really like about my daughter is her commitment and work ethic,” father Sundaram Gunasekaran says. “She is very fastidious about what she does.
We are really proud.”
Suvai Gunasekaran will soon head off to Washington D.C. to learn if she is an Intel Science Talent Search top winner. For her, however, being named a
finalist is honor enough. There is no doubt, regardless of the competition’s outcome, that Gunasekaran is well on the way to success.
By Laura Salinger
The title to Suvai Gunasekaran’s nationally
recognized research paper was enough to have me
rubbing my eyes and shaking my head. “A New
Approach to Biofilm Inhibition: Incorporation and
Controlled Release of Synthetic N-Acylated
Homoserine Lactone Compounds from Surfaces.” Huh?
Yet, with a lot of patience on her part, Gunasekaran
was able to assuage my science-limited brain and give
a straightforward explanation as to what her 20-page
research paper was actually about. The most
remarkable part is that she is just a senior in high
school.
In a field dominated by males, Memorial High
School student Gunasekaran was recently named,
along with 39 other high school students, as a finalist
for the Intel Science Talent Search 2009. In the
science world, this is no small feat. The competition, in
The title to Suvai Gunasekaran’s nationally
recognized research paper was enough to have me
rubbing my eyes and shaking my head. “A New
Approach to Biofilm Inhibition: Incorporation and
Controlled Release of Synthetic N-Acylated
Homoserine Lactone Compounds from Surfaces.” Huh?
Yet, with a lot of patience on her part, Gunasekaran
was able to assuage my science-limited brain and give
a straightforward explanation as to what her 20-page
research paper was actually about. The most
remarkable part is that she is just a senior in high
school.
In a field dominated by males, Memorial High
School student Gunasekaran was recently named,
along with 39 other high school students, as a finalist
for the Intel Science Talent Search 2009. In the
science world, this is no small feat. The competition, in
| Suvai Gunasekaran (left); the young scientist at work. |
