AXEL HANSEN REACHES SEMI-FINALS IN NATIONAL SCIENCE COMPETITION

The Siemens Foundation has notified senior Axel Hansen that he is a semifinalist in the annual Siemens Competition in Math, Science, and Technology. He submitted a paper in the field of computer security which researched how to monitor a program to find attacks on computer programs, and then how to stop the attacks and enable programs to keep running.

Axel's project, titled "Improved Heuristics for Program Continuation in Failure-Oblivious Computing," earned him a Distinguished Presenter award (one of five) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology over the summer. According to the Siemens Foundation's web site, nearly 100 high school students are still in contention for the national scholarship in original research. This year 1,893 students registered to enter the Siemens Competition and submitted a total of 1,205 projects. The national finalist award will be announced on December 8.

As the Foundation describes the contest: "The Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology recognizes remarkable talent early on, fostering individual growth for high school students who are willing to challenge themselves through science research. Through this competition, students have an opportunity to achieve national recognition for science research projects that they complete in high school. It is administered by The College Board and funded by the Siemens Foundation."