The list of semi-finalists for the Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge (DCYSC) has been published! Check it out, I was named one of the semi-finalists! They mailed me a certificate as well as a nice DCYSC water bottle.

The DCYSC is a nation-wide science competition for students in grades 5-8. They seek out and recognize young scientists who show extraordinary talent in the “exploration, understanding, and communication of science.”

In just a few more weeks, (September 14), the top 40 finalists will be announced. They’ll receive an all-expense-paid trip to Washington D.C. for the final competition! I’m holding my breath for now. If I get selected as one of these forty, I’ll have the chance to compete for the top prize–a $20,000 scholarship as well as the recognition of being “America’s Top Young Scientist.” See Discovery’s press release for more information.

The countdown to choosing America’s top young scientist continues next month, on September 14, when the field of 400 semifinalists is narrowed by the DCYSC judges to the “Final Forty.” These 40 finalists will travel to Washington, D.C. October 15-19, where they will take part in the DCYSC finalist competition at the Cole Field House at the University of Maryland. The finalists will compete in team-based, interactive challenges designed around the theme of “Forces of Nature.” The young scientists will have to use their scientific know-how to find solutions to some of Mother Nature’s most extreme challenges. The students will compete for more than $100,000 worth of scholarships and special prizes, as well as the title of “America’s Top Young Scientist of the Year.”