Held last month in Atlanta, the Intel ISEF
2008 brought together more than 1500 students
from around the world as they presented
their award-winning projects from
state and regional science fairs. Individuals and teams competed
in more than 17 categories, including a healthy showing
in the Engineering: Electrical and Mechanical (EE) division.
A number of students used development kits in their work.
Chris King’s Electromagnetic Levitation: A Digital Control
System used an Atmel ATMega microcontroller with a 10-bit
analog-to-digital converter (ADC). The project also included
a custom-built analog control system. King would like to
improve his electromagnetic suspension system, but he needs a
16-bit ADC for better control.
A trio from W.J. Keenan High
School in Columbia, S.C., presented
On the Development and
Construction of a Telepresence
Amusement Park Ride. The project
used a Parallax Basic Stamp with a
MEMS accelerometer and a compass
module that synchronized the
movement of a person wearing a
head-mounted video goggle system
with a digital camera that delivered
the video (Fig. 1). A fan provided
the impression of movement.
Adam Halverson and Anthony
Winterton from Garretson High
School in Garretson, S.D., were in
the second year of a multipart project
named VSR-1: Talos (Fig. 2).
This bipedal robot is currently controlled
from a PC. Improved sensors
and autonomous operation are
in the long-term goals.
Even more impressive was the expertise these students bring
to the fair. They spend a full day explaining their project to judges
with noteworthy credentials, including some Nobel Prize winners.
Natalie Saranga Omattage of Cleveland, Miss., Sana Raoof
of Muttontown, N.Y., and Yi-Han Su of Chinese Taipei took
home the $50,000 Intel Foundation Young Scientist Award.
“To see young students from around the world develop
innovative solutions to problems confronting society shows the
true power of this international science fair,” said Intel Corporation
Chairman Craig Barrett.
SOCIETY FOR SCIENCE AND THE PUBLIC
www.societyforscience.org