A Grade 12 student from Vancouver, B.C., has won the top prize at the world's largest high school research competition.
Austin Wang, 18, won the $75,000 U.S. Gordon E. Moore Award at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Phoenix, Ariz., for developing bacteria that speeds up the process of converting organic waste into electricity.
"I didn't really believe it at first. All my teammates were screaming, and it was just a surreal moment," said Wang.
The award is given to the best science project at the fair, and Wang said he was up against some tough competition from the more than 1,700 young scientists from 77 countries.
"The calibre of the projects here is absolutely incredible," Wang said. "Some of the work that these other high school students are doing was blowing me away."
Some of those projects included a student from Victoria who developed a method to diagnose diseases by using an at-home test, and another student who used stem cells to help create new kidneys.
But the 1,000 judges evaluating the projects at the fair decided Wang's was the best one.
B.C. teenager wins top prize at international science fair - British Columbia - CBC News
Austin Wang, 18, won the $75,000 U.S. Gordon E. Moore Award at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Phoenix, Ariz., for developing bacteria that speeds up the process of converting organic waste into electricity.
"I didn't really believe it at first. All my teammates were screaming, and it was just a surreal moment," said Wang.
The award is given to the best science project at the fair, and Wang said he was up against some tough competition from the more than 1,700 young scientists from 77 countries.
"The calibre of the projects here is absolutely incredible," Wang said. "Some of the work that these other high school students are doing was blowing me away."
Some of those projects included a student from Victoria who developed a method to diagnose diseases by using an at-home test, and another student who used stem cells to help create new kidneys.
But the 1,000 judges evaluating the projects at the fair decided Wang's was the best one.
B.C. teenager wins top prize at international science fair - British Columbia - CBC News
