PHOENIX – Governor Doug Ducey announced that Alice Wong and Isaac Mordukhovich have been selected as Arizona’s delegates to the 2017 National Youth Science Camp. At the invitation of Governor Earl Ray Tomblin of West Virginia, they will participate in the 54th Annual National Youth Science Camp held near the Green Bank Observatory in West Virginia. Shuchi Sharma and Deven Carmichael have been selected as alternates.
Alice Wong is a senior at Desert Vista High School in Phoenix, where she is the Co-Captain and Fundraising Committee Chairperson of the Varsity Badminton team, President of Health Occupation Students of America (HOSA), and Vice President of the Desert Vista Science Olympiad. Last summer she participated in the Women’s Technology Program (EECS) at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where she studied electrical engineering, computer science, and discrete mathematics for four weeks. Her honors include serving as the Class of 2017 Valedictorian, a 2017 National Merit Finalist, and a 2016 National AP Scholar.
Isaac Mordukhovich is a senior at BASIS Chandler, where he is a peer tutor and a Red Cross Club member. Isaac has volunteered at Hospice of the Valley since 2013, and he has served as the Service Committee Chair of the National Honor Society since 2013. He currently interns at the Mills Laboratory at the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University. Last summer he interned at the Helios Scholars at TGen Program as well as the Barmada Laboratory at the Department of Neurology at the University of Michigan. Isaac is a National Merit Finalist, a 2016 National AP Scholar and was named Best Diplomat at the Mesa Community College Model United Nations Conference in February.
Established in 1963 as a part of West Virginia’s Centennial Celebration, the National Youth Science Camp (NYSC) is an annual summer forum where two delegates representing each state exchange ideas with leading scientists and other professionals from academic and corporate worlds. Lectures and hands-on research projects are presented by scientists from across the United States who work on some of the most provocative topics in science today – including fractal geometry, the human genome project, global climate change, the history of the universe, the fate of our rain forests, and robotics. Delegates to the NYSC are challenged to explore new areas in the biological and physical sciences, art and music with resident staff members. Delegates also present seminars covering their own areas of research and interest.
The National Youth Science Camp’s diverse academic program is complemented by an outdoor recreation program, which leverages the Science Camp’s location in the Monongahela National Forest. The Science Camp’s outdoor program offers backpacking, caving, rock climbing, mountain biking and kayaking.
Ms. Wong and Mr. Mordukhovich will be flown to Charleston, West Virginia, on Wednesday, June 14, and will return home on Saturday, July 8, after participating in this innovative educational program. The National Youth Science Foundation, based in Charleston, West Virginia, covers all expenses, including travel. More information is available online at www.nysf.com and www.nysc.org.
