High School Students with McCormick Ties Named Finalists in Intel Competition

The Intel Science Talent Search (Intel STS), the nation’s most prestigious pre-college science competition, has named 40 finalists from across the country to compete for awards from the Intel Foundation. Both finalists from the state of Illinois have affiliations with Northwestern University.

Jordan Cotler, a high school student at Glenbrook North High School, has been involved in research at the Center for Photonic Communication and Computing (CPCC) since 2010. Jordan has worked in the Quantum Communications Laboratory of Prem Kumar, AT&T Professor of Information Technology. His project, developed alongside CPCC researchers Joe Altepeter and Tim Rambo, is entitled “A Relativistic Orthogonal States Quantum Key Distribution Protocol for Secure Satellite Communication.”

Adam Kalinich is a high school student at Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy. During the 2010-11 academic year, Adam visited weekly with Lance Fortnow, professor of electrical engineering and computer science. Adam's project, developed last summer during his study with Fortnow, is entitled "Flipping the Winner of a Poset Game."
 
Jordan and Adam will travel to Washington, D.C. in March to undergo final judging, display their work to the public, meet with notable scientists, and compete for the top award of $100,000.

The Intel STS recognizes 300 students and their schools as semifinalists each year—1,839 applicants in 2012—to compete for $1.25 million in awards. Alumni of STS have made extraordinary contributions to science and hold more than 100 of the world's most distinguished science and math honors, including seven Nobel Prizes and four National Medals of Science.