Posted by Howard Richman on May 21 2007 at 07:55:23:
The above photo shows the three winners of this year´s Intel science fair with homeschooler Philip Streich, 16, in the center. It accompanies an article by Barry Adams in today´s Wisconsin State Journal.
Streich´s project helps with the development of a new super-strong material, carbon tubes, that, according to Streich, could be used to build a bridge to the moon. Here is a selection from the article:
Streich, a 16-year-old who is home-schooled in Belmont and takes classes at UW-Platteville, was one of three students out of 1,500 to take home top honors last week at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Albuquerque, N.M....Howard"The best thing about doing research is that it´s so exciting," Streich said Sunday from his parents´ 400-acre farm about 65 miles southwest of Madison. "You can go from equations in a book and ideas in your head to building an instrument with your own hands. Going into the lab wasn´t work to me, it was just fun."...
Streich has been home-schooled since seventh grade but said it wasn´t until last year that science "finally clicked."
Takes online classes
Now, Streich teaches himself at home, takes online classes from Stanford University and last year took physics, chemistry and German at UW-Platteville. This year he took U.S. and world history, organic chemistry, German and genetics.
He also plays piano and guitar, sings, acts, composes jazz, enjoys fly fishing and is politically active. He is treasurer of the Democratic Party of Grant County, founder and president of the Grant County Youth Democrats and president of the Platteville Youth Commission.
But while he´s unsure where life may lead, he no doubt will be prepared.
"What I´m trying to do is not get too focused on one topic but to learn a lot of separate disciplines and keep my options open," Streich said. "It´s going to be extra important to have experience in more than one field."
According to the Intel Web site, Streich´s research provided the first evidence that carbon nanotubes, which are among the strongest and most conductive materials in the world, are thermodynamically soluble, which means they can be isolated from bundles of nanotubes without degrading the nanotube´s properties....
For more information on the International Science and Engineering Fair: go to www.intel.com/pressroom.