Schreiber High School seniors Erin Ly and Brad Zankel are among 300 students - out of 1,562 students nationwide - who have been named semifinalists in the Intel Science Talent Search, the oldest and most prestigious pre-college science competition in America.

Ms. Ly was cited for her research, titled "Alzheimer's Disease With and Without Lewy Bodies: Synergy of Co-existing Pathologies." Mr. Zamkel's research is titled "Comparative Efficiency of Mutual Exclusions Algorithms." Ms. Ly is a student in the science research program, headed by teacher Phyllis Serfaty. Mr. Zamkel is in the mathematics research program, headed by teacher Scott Lenz.

The students have each been awarded $1,000 with the school receiving $1,000 per semifinalist in support of science and mathematics programs. Both Ms. Ly and Mr. Zankel will be among the contenders in the next round of the competition, to be announced Jan. 30, when the field will be trimmed to 40 students nationwide.

The 40 finalists will receive an all expense paid trip to Washington, DC where they will compete for college scholarships totaling $530,000. The finalists will undergo a rigorous interview process, with winners announced at a banquet on March 11; attending finalists receive a high-performance Intel processor-based mobile computer.

In the Intel Science Talent Search, often considered the "Junior Nobel Prize," students were judged based on their individual research ability, scientific originality and creative thinking. The research projects covered all disciplines of science, including chemistry, physics, mathematics, engineering, social science and biology. All Intel STS entries were reviewed and judged by top scientists from a variety of disciplines. Dr. Andrew Yeager of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center oversaw the judging process.

Over the past 61 years, Science Talent Search alumni have been recipients of the world's most coveted science and math honors, including five Nobel Prizes, three National Medals of Science, 10 MacArthur Foundation fellowships and two Field Medals. Science Service, a non-profit organization whose mission is to advance the understanding and appreciation of science through publications and educational programs, has administered the program since its inception in 1942. Over the years, Science Talent Search has recognized more than 2,000 finalists with more than $5 million in scholarships.