I am a very lucky woman. I had the honor and pleasure of judging within the Social and Behavioral Sciences category at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Reno, NV last week. This year, ISEF included 1,563 students from over 50 countries who conducted independent research in a traditional “science fair” format. Intel awarded nearly $4 million in scholarships, laptops and other prizes to the top finalists.

The opportunity to engage with the brightest young minds in the world is an experience I will never forget. Graduate school and college teaching were both exciting for me, but there is something very special about discussing research with young teens who are just discovering the thrill of scientific inquiry. The looks on their faces as they discussed their research questions, their experimental methodology, and, oh, what they found! The light in their eyes and the pride they carried will forever stick with me. And, I should not forget to mention the parents! The expectant looks on their faces as they waited outside the judging hall for their children. There was little doubt in my mind that, as a judge, I was playing a very important and serious role in the experience of science for the finalists. Of course, I had a little fun with the experience, too. I started my Twitter feed (@ChildPsych), and I tweeted regular updates from ISEF. I am on Twitter now. I am official!

I would like to personally congratulate all of the finalists, but I would like to give a special “shout out” to the Young Scientist and Social and Behavioral Science Award winners. The Intel Foundation Young Scientist Award winners each took home a $50,000 scholarship. The first Young Scientist award winner is Tara Anjali Adiseshan from Charlottesville, Virginia. Tara completed a project titled, “Identifying and Classifying Evolutionary Interactions between Sweat Bees and Nematodes.” The second Young Scientist Award winner is Olivia Catherine Schwob from Boston, Massachusetts. Her project was titled, “How Worms Learn, Part III: Mammalian Gene Expression and Associative Conditioning in Caenorhabditis elegans.” The third Young Scientist Award winner is Li Sallou Boynton from Bellaire, Texas. Her project was titled, “The Use of Bioluminscent Bacteria to Detect Environmental Contaminants.” Their work will most certainly have important implications for future health and well-being of the populace.

I enjoyed the experience so much that I plan to apply again to serve as a Grand Award Judge for the 2010 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in San Jose, Ca. If you are the parent of a budding scientist, I encourage you to review the criteria for the fair, and if you are a doctoral level researcher or practitioner, I invite you to apply to serve as a judge next year. Whatever your level of involvement with this fine program, I guarantee that you will not be disappointed, and you will enjoy the experience of witnessing the young bright minds of the world.