Hewlett High's Eric Brooks wins Intel grant

Hewlett High School senior Eric Brooks took fifth place last night in the Intel Science Talent Search competition held in Washington D.C.

For placing so high in the prestigious contest Brooks was given a $30,000 award from Intel. He was one of nine Intel finalists on Long Island but the only one to place in the top 10.

In late January Brooks became the first ever Intel finalist from Hewlett High School for his project entitled “Racial Disparity in Prostate Cancer Characterized through Evolutionary Modeling of the Genome." His research, conducted at New York University Medical Center, focused on how genetic factors affect prostate cancer.

Brooks studied patients with aggressive and less aggressive forms of the disease. The project was mentored by Hewlett High science teacher Dr. Terence Bisoondial and facilitated by Dr. Patricia Nardi, a social science teacher.

The week-long Intel contest held in the nation's capital featured a rigorous judging process with the 40 finalists interacting with leading scientists, displaying their research at the National Academy of Sciences as well as discussing their projects with members of Congress. One of the other 40 Intel finalists was Lawrence High School senior Paul Masih Das, who received a $7,500 award.