High-school student models the circadian clock

Plano teen wins regional science award, moves on to national competition:

The awards, which recognize exceptional achievement in science, were announced Saturday at the University of Texas at Austin.

Alexander, who won a $3,000 scholarship, was honored for developing a realistic mathematical model detailing how biological clocks work.

"This is publishable, graduate-level work," said Claus Wilke, an assistant professor of Integrative Biology Section at UT.

He called Alexander's entry -- "Mathematical Modeling of a Eukaryotic Circadian Clock" -- a key component in understanding jet lag and insomnia.

"The Circadian clock is a phenomenon seen in almost all living organisms that helps us keep time," Mr. Wilke said. "Mr. Huang independently went through the literature, figured out what was known and not known about this problem, and identified where he could make a significant contribution."

Alexander, who began working on his biofeedback project in April, is a member of the Academic Decathlon A-team. He speaks fluent Mandarin Chinese and volunteers at the Plano juvenile court.

Cool. I'd like to see it published.

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At my highschool, the science project winners were tri-fold backboards depicting the water cycle and stuff.

I feel sooo lame. :-P