In conversations with India Abroad, The finalists, winners and past contestants repeated similar, familiar phrases: "A tremendous experience", "friendships we developed will last a lifetime", "being in the company of these brilliant minds makes us all winners".
And, this year, as they all seemed to chime in unison, all of them found to be "really cool" the "awesome" experience of visiting the White House March 9 and meeting President Barack Obama.
"President Obama is really on board in terms of supporting science education," said Aniruddha Deshmukh, 17, of Cupertino, California, who was chosen to describe the experience of meeting the President in the video presentations that preceded the winners' announcement. The President, Aniruddha added, had pledged his unstinted support of "policies that would increase funding towards science and education programs on a very large scale in the US. That's really key."
He said Obama had told all of them that "our collective future depends on innovation and that we are the future of that innovation."
Former secretary of state Colin Powell, who delivered a special address, was inspiring -- "totally," the kids said -- and funny too.
Image: Preya Shah (center) of Long Island, NY, being awarded eight place in the Intel Science Talent Search 2009 by Craig R Barrett (right), Chairman, Intel Corporation and Elezabeth Marincola, President Society for Science & the Public in Washington DC.
Also see: Winners and guests at the India Abroad
Advertisement
