Well, okay, it's not necessarily a bright spot for Michigan, per se, but the thought of the winner of something as important as the Siemens math competition just being the kind of kid you can get behind makes me feel good. Okay, with a name like Wen Chyan, we know he's of Asian descent, and being from the Texas Academy of math and science means he's probably no ordinary mind. And God only knows I probably couldn't have interpreted his work if I wanted to, but you know what?! It doesn't matter in the least. This smart 17-year-old is making a difference to his world, and, almost anecodotally, copping a hundred grand in the process; I should be so smart. Maybe I just need something to be happy about, given the state of the economy, and Illinois' governor, just to name a few. Maybe I just need to get out more.

D-FW student wins Siemens Competition in Math, Science and Technology
BY BRITNEY TABOR / Denton Record-Chronicle btabor@dentonrc.com
A senior at the Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science at the University of North Texas won $100,000 in scholarship money Monday in the country's premier high school research contest.
Wen Chyan, 17, was named the top individual finisher in the 2008 Siemens Competition in Math, Science and Technology for a chemistry research project that could eventually prevent hospital-related bacterial infections.
"[I'm] definitely very excited about the turn of events," Wen said shortly before boarding a plane back to Texas on Monday from New York.
Earlier in the day, he said he was honored to earn the award and grateful to his parents and mentors.
Wen beat out five other high school finalists in the individual category.
"I developed an anti-microbial coating for medical devices like breathing tubes and catheters," he said. "These infections infect more than 2 million hospital patients and kill more than 100,000, so it's a very severe problem in our health care system."
W. Mark Saltzman, a Siemens competition judge and Goizueta Foundation Professor of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering at Yale University, called Wen's project creative.
"With further testing, these findings have the potential to improve a wide range of medical devices from intravascular devices at hospitals or catheters used in insulin pumps," he said.
Dr. Richard Sinclair, dean at TAMS, said he was overwhelmed by Wen's accomplishment. Wen is the first student from the school to advance and win the contest at the individual level. In 2002, TAMS had a champion student at the competition in the team category, he said.
"We couldn't be more proud of Wen," he said. "All of us just can't believe it. It's just fabulous news."
In addition to winning the scholarship, Wen will ring the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange in February.
Launched in 1998, the Siemens Competition, also known as the Siemens Westinghouse Competition, recognizes America's top math and science students. This year, 1,893 students entered the contest, with a total of 1,205 submitted projects.
"These remarkable students have achieved the most coveted and competitive high school science recognition," said Thomas McCausland, chairman of the Siemens Foundation in a prepared statement. "There is no doubt that these scholars will change the world, starting right now, with their passion for math and science."
The Associated Press contributed to this report

Congratulations go out to Sajith M. Wickramasekara and Andrew Y. Guo for winning today the grand prize in the 2008 Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology.
Although both teens are now seniors at the N.C. School of Science and Mathematics in Durham, they used to attend Enloe High School in Raleigh. Wickramasekara is from Raleigh and Guo is from Cary.
They were lauded for genetics research that has the potential to easily identify new chemotherapeutic drugs and greatly improve existing ones. They will share a $100,000 scholarship for winning what's considered by many to be the nation's premier science competition for high school students.
The School of Science and Math operates as a statewide public boarding school for the best of the best high school juniors and seniors. Seats are assigned by a rough quota to prevent some districts from being overrepresented.
It can be a challenge for students to decide whether to stay at their high school or attend the School of Science and Math.
Last year, a team from Enloe finished second in the Siemens competition.