Tonight we got the news that
Lauren (age 15, Freshman at La Reina High School) has won First Place in her category at
the Ventura County Science Fair (http://www.west.net/~vcsf/winners99.htm), eclipsed in
number of participants in California only by the California State Science Fair.
Her project involved insertion of the genes necessary for
bioluminescence into E. coli bacteria by plasmid transformation and then a study of the
properties of the resulting bioluminescence.
Her prizes include not only a stupendous trophy, but also a $500
scholarship for college and a $500 contribution to her school's science department by one
of the leading biotechnology companies of the world, AMGEN.
She is now automatically entered in the California State Science
Fair (http://www.usc.edu/CMSI/CalifSF/),
and we'll let you all know how she does there. Needless to say, she is "walking on
air" tonight.
