By: Las Vegas Now Staff
One of the top science students in the country lives here in Las Vegas. She's now on her way to Washington D.C., hoping her research will win her a $50,000 scholarship.
Her name is Brianna Lien and she's a senior at Centennial High School. She researched teen eating habits and that project earned her a spot in the semi-finals of the Young Epidemiology Scholars Competition sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Now she's going for the top prize.
She studied 400 high school students like herself, spending months researching their eating habits and wrote a 25 page report.
“I found through my research, the eating wasn't the cause of immediate health problems,” she said.
Although the research didn't prove what she thought, her project was strong enough to get her a spot in the semifinals.
“I love what I did and proud I got there, but I have no idea of how I did it,” she said.
Brianna did it with the help of her science teacher a Centennial High. He encouraged his students to take part in this highly competitive competition and thinks Brianna's triumph can be motivation for others.
“I think it shows that you don't have to go to magnet schools to have excellent students,” said Brianna's teacher Dr. Matthew Aten.
Brianna always wanted to be in the medical field and her trip to Washington D.C. puts her one step closer to making her dream a reality.
“I was like, ‘If I can do this, I can keep on going,'” she said.
Brianna heads for D.C. next week. She'll have to make three days of presentations to an elite group of scientists. They will judge her and she'll find out if she won next month.
Email your comments to Reporter Travell Eiland
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