Following their excellent performances in the Long Island Science and Engineering Fair, Plainview-Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy High School students Jinju Yi and Theodore Tzanetos flew to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to compete in the International Science and Engineering Fair, the largest pre-collegiate science fair in the world.

Over 1,500 students from 50 different nations participated in this prestigious event, and the POBJFKHS students were once again standouts. Jinju Yi and her partner, Vijay Jian of Herricks High School, won first place in the team projects category. Their project, "An Integrated Smart Chip for the Early Diagnosis of Cancer: A New Take on Surface Molecular Imprinting," can be viewed at http://www.podtech.net/home/3075/intel-isef-2007-cancer-detection. In addition to winning the Grand Award Prize, they were rewarded scholarship money from the US Air Force, US Army and the Department of Homeland Security.

Theodore Tzanetos earned fourth place in the category of Computer Science. His project, "Aiding the Visually Impaired Through the Use of Integrated Computer System," combines computer technology with GPS and sonar technology to warn the user if an obstruction is in their path.

"These students, who are so successful, combine intelligence with a phenomenal work ethic," stated POBJFKHS research coordinator Mary Lou O'Donnell. "In addition to this, they like to have fun!"

While in New Mexico, the students enjoyed themselves by attending parties where they met students from other nations, hiking to the top of the Sandia Mountains and visiting Old Town Albuquerque.