Technology giant Intel Corp. sponsors the Intel Science Talent Search each year. Finalists earn scholarships and financial aid and will travel to Washington, DC, for a judging process that includes displaying their research at the National Academy of Sciences, according to Intel.
This is the first time in the competition's history that four finalists, one-tenth of the entire group, come from the Bay Area, Intel officials said.
Intel's "prize patrol" will spend the morning visiting high schools in Palo Alto and San Jose to surprise finalists with the news.
Palo Alto High School senior Lynnelle Ye and San Jose students Namrata Anand, of The Harker School, and David Liu and Raman Nelakanti, from Lynbrook High School, will receive oversized checks and balloons along with the good news.
This is also the first time that a single California school has produced two finalists, Intel officials said.
The winners will be announced in Washington, DC, in March. Each finalist receives a minimum of $7,500, but the finalists will compete for awards of up to $100,000.
According to Intel, seven finalists in previous competitions have won a Nobel Prize and 10 have gone on to win MacArthur Foundation genius grants.
