Chinese high school student Yuanchen Zhu took home one of the three top awards at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF) for a research project that could lead to greatly enhanced computer graphics.

Yuanchen Zhu, from Shanghai, China, won US$50,000 scholarship for his college study as he was honored Intel Young Scientist.

Zhu, Sarah Rose Langberg, a US student from Florida, and Uwe Treske, a German student from Grafenhainichen, prevailed over more than 1,300 students from about 40 countries and regions and won the top prize at the world's largest science competition for teen students. 

"A passion for science and mathematics ensures that many of these Intel ISEF finalists will become tomorrow's great scientists and innovators," said Intel CEO Craig Barrett.

"As these students complete their education and move into the workforce, I hope they will collaborate across national boundaries to help cure diseases, protect the environment and develop breakthrough technologies that may one day change the world." 

Zhu, 19, developed a method for generating high-quality, three-dimensional computer graphics that improves the level of detail while speeding up the time required for rendering precise images.

Langberg, 17, won a top prize for exploring the ocean floor for clues on the earth's origin. She conducted chemical investigations, ran a mathematical simulation and studied video footage from the ocean floor in her effort to explain the distinct features that characterize one of earth's most active volcanic regions. 

Treske's top prize resulted from the 18-year-old boy's Physics project that lead to the development of an inexpensive but high-resolution microscope.

More than 500 students received various scholarships and prizes totaling 3 million dollars.

(Xinhua News agency May 15, 2004)