Cancer-Exterminating Nano-particles!

[Dean]

While impressive indeed in its own right, this was in fact developed by a very young girl. A 17 year old, as it happens! Her science project as it is in this case, has the curious title: "Design of Image-guided, Photo-thermal Controlled Drug Releasing Multifunctional Nanosystem for the Treatment of Cancer Stem Cells" Here is the story:

17-Year-Old Girl Creates Nanoparticle That Kills Cancer, Wins $100,000

An interesting element of this story is the context of the discovery. The girl, Angela Zhang of Cupertino, Calif., was an entrant in a teenager science/technology competition sponsored by Siemens. If more high-tech companies sponsored competitions such as this, think of the implications for scientific literacy!

Here's an excerpt from the story about Zhang published in U.S. News & World Report[ et al/i] STEM Education:

• "For Zhang, it wasn't easy. She spent three years working on her project,four if you count the year she spent attending seminars and reading up on cancer before beginning her research. "I contacted a professor at [Stanford University] when I was 14 to see if I could work in their lab," she says. "He said 'Absolutely not, you're only 14.'"
  
  She struck up a compromise to learn as much as she could about cancer, and started working in the lab a year later. And she didn't let her failures discourage her."

Kudos and propers to Zhang for her persistence and insatiable curiosity!!

 

[Nemesiah]

I wish she had goten more money; both as a reward for her as an incentive for others, a million would allowher to focus the rest of her life to her studies (should she choose to)

While I understand why it is so; I rage every time I remember Britney Spears makes more money than the scientists that are changing the world.

But yes, congratulations, lets hope they put it to good use soon.