DENTON
(UNT), Texas -- A student at the Texas Academy of Mathematics
and Science at the University of North Texas has won a $10,000
scholarship for his work on developing a biocompatible
material that can be used in protein drug delivery.
Peter Hu,
18, of Denton, placed sixth at the National Siemens
Competition in Math, Science and Technology on Monday in New
York.
The
Siemens Competition is the nation’s leading original research
competition in math, science and technology for high school
students.
For his
bioengineering research, Hu used polymer nanoparticles to
create a protein drug carrier that can maintain a sustained
drug release while preventing the protein from degrading
inside the human body. This has long been a challenge for
scientists.
Therapeutic proteins are
critical to treating many diseases. For example, cancer can be
treated with interferons, diabetes with insulin and hemophilia
with blood clotting factors. So with Hu’s development, a
diabetes patient could significantly reduce the number of
insulin injections needed.
“Bioengineering interests
me because it has the potential to solve so many of the world’s
problems,?Hu said. “I’ve had family members who have battled
cancer and diabetes, which was my primary motivation in
researching this topic.?/FONT>
Hu’s work
was supervised by Dr. Liping Tang, a bioengineering professor
at the University of Texas at Arlington.
Before
coming to TAMS, Hu attended Denton High School. Both of Hu’s
parents are physicists, which he said spurred his interest in
science at a young age. Hu’s father, Zhibing Hu, is a physics
professor at UNT.
“My parents
were great influences in my love of science, and I was very
involved in school science fairs,?Hu said. The first project
he remembers was an experiment to determine the speed of
sound. He was 9.
As vice
president of the Junior Engineering Technical Society at TAMS,
Hu is organizing a science demonstration team to promote
interest in math and science among elementary and middle
school students. In his spare time, he plays the piano and
violin, as well as basketball and tennis.
In
addition to Hu, TAMS had three other regional finalists and 14
semifinalists honored in the Siemens competition. The
competition field began with 1,348 students
nationwide.
TAMS is a
two-year residential program at UNT that allows exceptionally
talented students to complete their freshman and sophomore
years of college while receiving the equivalent of high school
diplomas. Students enroll in the academy following their
sophomore year in high school, live in a UNT residence hall
and attend UNT classes with college students. After two years,
they enroll at UNT or another university to finish their
bachelor’s degrees.
Last year,
TAMS student Wen Chyan won the top prize at Siemens for his
work engineering new polymer coatings for biomedical devices
that could prevent common, and sometimes deadly, bacterial
infections resulting from hospital stays.
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