SELINA LI: "I researched a new approach to targeting liver cancer by basically starving the liver cancer cells to death, while leaving the normal cells unaffected. And, to go one step further, I blocked a survival pathway to make the treatment more effective."

Ms. Li placed fifth in the Intel Science Talent Search and was awarded thirty thousand dollars.

Scott Boisvert lives near Phoenix, Arizona. He began using a laboratory at the University of Arizona at the age of fourteen. Over four years, he completed a project studying a fungus linked to the decrease in amphibians around the world.

He was trying to find out if different chemicals and substances in the water could kill the fungus. He collected and tested water samples across Arizona.

SCOTT BOISVERT: "My results were able to identify a list of chemicals that were significant in the growth and in the movement of the fungus."

He placed tenth in the Intel competition and was awarded twenty thousand dollars.

Evan O'Dorney of Danville, California, won the top award of one hundred thousand dollars in this year's Intel Science Talent Search. For his mathematical project, he compared two ways to estimate the square root of an integer, a number with no fractional parts.

Wendy Hawkins at the Intel Foundation says these young people represent the next generation of scientists who will help shape America's future.

And that's the VOA Special English Education Report. Visit the all-new mobile version of our website where you can read and listen to Special English programs and watch captioned videos. From your phone or other device, go to voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Christopher Cruise.