News Release

Local angles: Asheville, Cary, Chapel Hill, Charlotte, Delco, Garner, Gastonia, Lexington, Murphy, Oak Island, Pinehurst, Rocky Mount, Saint Pauls, Walnut Cove, Wilson, Winston-Salem and Winterville

CHAPEL HILL -- Seventeen teen-agers from across the state have been named recipients of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s first Carolina Award for Outstanding Achievement in Science.

The award is administered by UNC’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions, in consultation with the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center. A $10,000 gift from Dr. Peter and Lisa Gardner of Stamford, Conn., is funding the awards program.

The Carolina Award is designed to cultivate students’ excitement for the sciences and recognizes outstanding eighth- and 11^th-grade students in each of the state’s educational districts. Science teachers nominated students, and the recipients were chosen based on a review of their transcripts, achievements in science and short essays on topics related to the field.

The award recipients, their parents and nominating teachers were recognized at a ceremony this spring on the Carolina campus. Chancellor James Moeser presented each student with a certificate and gift commemorating the occasion. Teachers also received a certificate of appreciation and a $100 stipend to supplement their classroom teaching.

The day included a fluids lab demonstration and a hands-on demonstration of the nanoManipulator, a microcomputer system created by Carolina physicists and computer scientists that uses virtual reality technology to provide a visual three- dimensional image of the sample being examined. The students also went on a campus tour.

The 2004 Carolina Science Award recipients are listed below, alphabetically by N.C. county:

• Brunswick: Bobby Clemmons, an eighth-grader at South Brunswick Middle School. Clemmons, of Oak Island, is the son of Thom and Paula Clemmons. Nominating teacher: Steve Lancaster.
  
• Buncombe: Sam Shuford, an eighth-grader at A.C. Reynolds Middle School. Shuford, of Asheville, is the son of Scott and Kathy Shuford. Nominating teacher: Barbara Crownover.
  
• Cherokee: Adrianne Howard, an 11^th-grader at Hiwassee Dam High School. Howard, of Murphy, is the daughter of R.L. and Debbie Howard. Nominating teacher: Honor Schneider.
  
• Columbus: Chet Saunders, an 11^th-grader at East Columbus High School. Saunders, of Delco, is the son of Andrew Saunders. Nominating teacher: Debra Ward.
  
• Davidson: David Kayler, an eighth-grader at Tyro Middle School. Kayler, of Lexington, is the son of Claude and Lorie Kayler. Nominating teacher: Ronda Dorsett.
  
• Forsyth: Morgan Bolling, an eighth-grader at Westchester Academy. Bolling, of Winston-Salem, is the daughter of Bruce and Gwen Bolling. Nominating teacher: Ray McCann.
  
• Gaston: J. Patrick Nelli, an 11^th-grader at Ashbrook High School. Nelli, of Gastonia, is the son of James and Kathy Nelli. Nominating teacher: Larry Carpenter.
  
• Mecklenburg: Kevin Watson, an eighth-grader at Alexander Graham Middle School. Watson, of Charlotte, is the son of Robert and Catherine Watson. Nominating teacher: Jennifer Stanley.
  
• Moore: Lee Davis, an 11^th-grader at Pinecrest High School. Davis, of Pinehurst, is the daughter of Chuck and Sue Davis. Nominating teacher: Mary Foster.
  
• Nash: Lindsay Stokes, an eighth-grader at Parker Middle School. Stokes, of Rocky Mount, is the daughter of Gregg and Ginny Stokes. Nominating teacher: Debra Gammons.
  
• Orange: Sunjay Barton, an 11^th-grader at Chapel Hill High School. Barton, of Chapel Hill, is the son of Matthew and Maya Barton. Nominating teacher: Tom Herndon.
  
• Pitt: Christin Baker, an 11^th-grader at D.H. Conley High School. Baker, of Winterville, is the daughter of Chip and Debbie Baker. Nominating teacher: Karen Powell.
  
• Robeson: Kristopher Clegg, an eighth-grader at Saint Pauls Middle School. Clegg, of Saint Pauls, is the son of Stephen and Karen Clegg. Nominating teacher: Patricia Daniels.
  
• Stokes: Sarah Maxey, an 11^th-grader at South Stokes High School. Maxey, of Walnut Cove, is the daughter of Neil and Susan Maxey. Nominating teacher: Susan Orr.
  
• Wake: Robert Child, an 11^th-grader at Garner Senior High School. Child, of Garner, is the son of Brent and Cynthia Child. Nominating teacher: Shelly Casey. Nicole May, an eighth-grader at Davis Drive Middle School. May, of Cary, is the daughter of Andy and Debbie May. Nominating teacher: Christine Balga.
  
• Wilson: Bert Nowell, an 11^th-grader at Greenfield School. Nowell, of Wilson, is the son of Al and Margaret Nowell. Nominating teacher: Tina Shelton.

The award program is part of an initiative showing high school students how they may immerse themselves, as undergraduates, in the physical sciences and technology at Carolina. A Web site, sciencecarolina.unc.edu, focuses on how undergraduates and world-renowned faculty work together in the classroom and research settings.

For more information, contact Sue Klapper, senior assistant director of undergraduate admissions, at (919) 966-3987 or sklapper@email.unc.edu.

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Office of Admissions contact: Sue Klapper, (919) 966-3987 or sklapper@email.unc.edu
News Services contact: Deb Saine, (919) 962-8415 or deborah_saine@unc.edu