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Hunter College High School Senior Takes Second Prize at Intel Science Talent Search in Washington, DC

Hunter College High School Senior Takes Second Prize at Intel Science Talent Search in Washington, DC

President Obama with Kailia Firester (front row, second from left) and the other finalists of the Intel Science Talent Search. Photo: AP

March 11, 2015: Kalia Firester, 17, won a 2nd prize award in the "Global Good" category at the annual Intel Science Talent Search. The prize, presented Tuesday night in Washington, DC, is accompanied by a $75,000 scholarship. A senior at Hunter College High School (HCHS), Firester was the only student among 40 Intel nationwide finalists who comes from New York City.

"Kalia's achievement last night clearly is the result of her remarkable intellectual gifts, intense hard work and an incredible family," said Hunter College President Jennifer J. Raab. "It's also product of superb teaching, an excellent faculty and rigorous academic programming, all of which are the hallmarks of a Hunter College High School education. As an alumna myself, I couldn't be prouder of her, or the school."

Hunter College High School Principal Tony Fisher said: "We are so proud of Kalia, whose success is the culmination of years of hard work. This is not her first honor—in recognition for her submission in the 2013 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, a minor planet was named after her! She is part of a vibrant, productive student research community here at Hunter, led by Science Research Coordinator Gilana Reiss, Department Chair Dr. Phil Jeffery and a talented and dedicated department. With all her accomplishments so far, we can hardly wait to see what Kalia does next."

In her project, Firester studied plant parasitic nematodes, or worms, that are responsible for 14% of global crop loss and $100 billion in crop loss annually. She discovered the mechanism for how the nematodes were damaging plants. The project, entitled The Role of Fatty Acid and Retinol Binding Proteins (FAR) During Host Parasitism by RKN Meloidogyne spp., specifically identified a protein used by the nematodes to subvert a tomato plant's defenses. Firester successfully engineered the plants to suppress the proteins, thus eliminating the need for harmful chemical pesticides.

Hunter College High School has a strong track record in the annual Intel competition. While Firester was the school's only finalist this year, HCHS had four students, including Firester, among the 300 semifinalists. HCHS has taken first prize at the competition three previous times, and is the only New York City high school to have had any overall talent search winners in the last three decades—including when the search was previously sponsored by Westinghouse. The earlier HCHS winners were Amy Reichel (1981), Adam Cohen (1997) and David Bauer (2005).

Among HCHS alumni are other high-profile scientists, including Mildred Dresselhaus, an MIT physicist whom President Obama recently awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Among many other high-profile HCHS graduates are Supreme Court Associate Justice Elena Kagan and Tony and Grammy award-winner Lin-Manuel Miranda, who composed the Broadway musical In the Heights as well as Hamilton, which is headed to Broadway this summer.

Hunter College High School (HCHS) is part of Hunter College, the flagship college of the City University of New York. HCHS is a selective public school for intellectually gifted students, a combination of junior and senior high schools from grades 7-12. The Hunter College Campus also includes an elementary school, kindergarten through grade 6.

Dean Ketchum, Director of the Campus Schools said : "The campus schools are extremely proud of Kalia. From kindergarten through 12th grade, the Hunter College Campus Schools foster creativity and academic rigor throughout their programming. Curiosity and scientific exploration are mainstays in our classrooms. Kalia's incredible achievement exemplifies the work of this amazing educational institution."

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