3 Canterbury Students Compete at ISEF

Three Canterbury School students competed at the 57th Annual International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Indianapolis, Indiana. The trio, Ben Brinkopf, Mary Brinkopf and Sabrina Prabakaran, each returned from the weeklong excursion with awards.
Sabrina Prabakaran won the $500 third award from the American Physiological Society with her project, “Treatment of Age-related Macular Degeneration, Year Two: Effect of Intraocular Steroid on Choroidal Neovasculature and Vitreal Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Level.” She remarked, “I had a great time at ISEF meeting new people and seeing old friends. It was a once in a lifetime experience meeting students from 47 different countries and learning about their projects.”
Mary Brinkopf received an $8,000 Office of Naval Research grant for her project, “Working Memory Interference Effect on Visual ERP’s.” She remarked, “This was my first year at ISEF and I was not disappointed. I was privileged to meet Nobel Laureates, other high school students representing their respective nations and got a taste of Hoosier hospitality!”
Ben Brinkopf received a scholarship from Florida Institute of Technology for his project, “Testing the Efficient Market Hypothesis with Artificial Neural Networks and Genetic Algorithms.” This was his second year at the International Fair.
The Fort Myers Kiwanis Club paid for the students’ travel, meals, and lodging.
The International Science and Engineering Fair is sponsored by the Intel Corporation and invites nearly 1,500 high school students from 47 nations to participate. The Canterbury students worked under the direction of Dr. Betsy Glass, a twenty-five veteran of Canterbury School and head of scientific independent research.