Senior and Exeter, NH resident, Gongmyung "Mike" Lee was recently among 40 finalists who participated in the 2007 Intel Science Talent Search, held this year in Washington, DC. It’s America’s oldest and most prestigious science competition often referred to as the “Junior Nobel Prize.” Initially, Lee, who was awarded $5,000 in scholarships and a laptop computer for his research project, was among 300 semifinalists selected from 1,705 entries representing 487 high schools—a record number of participants.

His week at the competition was crammed with project presentations, sightseeing, and meeting with fellow students, scientists and national politicians. Although he wasn’t among the Top 10, Lee describes the experience as amazing. “This was a great opportunity. It was wonderful just to be named as a finalist, and I had such a great time in DC,” he says.

By the end, Top 10 finalists were awarded scholarships totaling $500,000, with the top winner—Mary Masterman, 17, of Baltimore—receiving a $100,000 scholarship for her entry. Now Lee, who plans to major in computer science and minor in physics, is looking forward to college and future science competitions. “I’m actually hoping to join one of the research projects that is funded by the U.S. Department of Defense. It’s known as DARPA, and they have Urban Challenge teams that I can join when I’m in college. It would be an exciting problem to be working on something that could have many real-life applications. I think that the Artificial Intelligence aspect of the competition is becoming increasingly important. (Last year it was in the desert, this year it will be in an urban environment),” he says. “I’m excited about the opportunities that lie ahead over the next few months. The future looks good.”