Dalton Hubble Named Semifinalist in 2009 Siemens Competition

Dalton Hubble, a senior at the Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky and John Hardin High School, has been selected as a Semifinalist in the 2008 Siemens Competition in Math, Science, and Technology.

Hubble’s research entitled “Fabrication of Poly(2-Hydroxyethyl Methacrylate) by Hot Filament Chemical Vapor Deposition” was conducted this past summer as part of the influential Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s summer research program. The results of his project include implications for improving the tailoring of specialized polymers for a variety of biomedical and tissue engineering applications.

Hubble was one of only three Kentucky students to be honored in the 2008 competition and the first Gatton Academy student to receive recognition.

Gatton Academy director Tim Gott expressed his excitement over Hubble’s accomplishment. “We are very excited to have our first student honored as part of this prestigious competition. Dalton is an outstanding young scholar who will set the standard for student excellence both in and out of the classroom in our program for years to come.”

The Siemens Competition – a signature program of the Siemens Foundation, the national leader in supporting STEM education with contributions surpassing $7 million each year – is the nation’s premier science research competition for high school students. The annual competition, administered by the College Board, awards college scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $100,000 in individual and team categories.

1,893 students registered to enter the Siemens Competition this year with a total of 1,205 projects submitted – this includes an increase of more than 10% in team and individual project submissions and an increase of more than 16 % in the number of registrations. Again surpassing last year’s totals, 311 students from 33 states were named Semifinalists, with 96 students being honored as Regional Finalists. These whiz kids will be called to compete at one of six Regional Competitions held over three consecutive weekends in November. A complete list of semifinalists and regional finalists is available at www.siemensfoundation.org.