West Virginia University students Katherine Bomkamp and Ryan Campione, along with chemistry professor Jennifer Robertson-Honecker, will be representing the University at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair this week.

The three will be traveling to Phoenix to recognize students who are promising innovators in their respective fields by awarding up to 25 Academic Excellence or Presidential Scholarships to attend WVU. Scholarships will be given to students whose research and academic aptitude align with WVU’s institutional goals and research interests, including areas of study such as radio astronomy, rural healthcare and shale gas.

It will be the first time that WVU has offered awards or scholarships at the ISEF. WVU had about a dozen volunteer judges and student ambassadors at the 2012 Intel ISEF in Pittsburgh last year. Pittsburgh will host the fair again in 2015.

In addition, Bomkamp and Campione will be tweeting their experiences at the fair. Check out what they’ve said:

The Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, a program of Society for Science & the Public, is the world’s largest pre-college science competition, and includes about 1,600 high school students from more than 70 countries, regions and territories. Each year, finalists at the fair showcase their independent research as they compete for more than $4 million in awards.

“I’m most looking forward to talking with the students about their research,” Robertson-Honecker said. “I participated as a judge in the 2012 ISEF in Pittsburgh. The knowledge and enthusiasm displayed by the students was palpable, and quite a bit of the research was cutting edge.”

Robertson-Honecker has been an assistant professor in chemistry since 2008. She also earned a Ph.D. from WVU. She was recently a recipient of the WVU Foundation Award for Outstanding Teaching.

Bomkamp, a junior political science major from Waldorf, Md., is a two-time finalist at the ISEF. She was recently named one of Glamour magazine’s 2013 Top 10 College Women.

Campione is a senior industrial engineering major from Morgantown and is the Student Government Association President.

The Intel International Science and Engineering Fair is funded jointly by Intel and the Intel Foundation with additional awards and support from dozens of corporate, academic, governmental and science-focused organizations. To learn more about Society for Science & the Public, visit www.societyforscience.org.

-WVU-

td/05/13/13

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