Oceanside High School senior takes fourth in Siemens finals

“It was probably the best high school experience I had,” said Blake Smith, an Oceanside High School senior who competed as a National Finalist in this year’s Siemens Competition in Math, Science and Technology.

Smith and his partner, Vickram Gidwani, a junior at the Horace Mann School in the Bronx, were among only six teams in the country to be chosen to compete in the finals at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., Dec. 2-5. The pair finished fourth, and split a $30,000 scholarship.

Smith and Gidwani’s project, “Using novel small molecule derivatives to therapeutically modulate erlotinib-resistant lung adenocarcinoma,” examined how modified anti-psychotic drugs could be used to treat cancer. The two worked on the project at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in Manhattan.

No novice to science, Smith had entered his work in previous competitions. But the Siemens finals were different from anything else, and for him the experience itself was a prize.

“The way they personalized and made this so individualized for every kid there, it makes you feel amazing to be there,” he said. Smith explained that in a previous competition he entered, he was one of 1,600 participants. He was known by a number, not his name. But at the Siemens finals, he was just Blake Smith.

“Since we were only 20 students there, every single kid felt equal,” he said.

On Dec. 2, all of the finalists went to a local high school in Washington and talked to students about their projects. The following day, the competitors set up posters explaining their projects in GWU’s exhibition hall. The session was open to the public, and the finalists answered questions about their projects.

The real competition began on Sunday, Dec. 4, with oral presentations to the 12 judges Siemens had recruited for the competition. “All of the judges weren’t from George Washington University,” said Smith. “They were from all over — some were from Harvard, some from Princeton, some were from UCLA.”

Each oral presentation lasted 12 minutes, and Smith and Gidwani went last. The presentations were followed by 12-minute question-and-answer sessions with the judges.

“I didn’t have any expectations — I didn’t have low or high expectations,” said Smith. “Being fourth is pretty awesome. Just being there is amazing, and I was happy that I made friends with all of these kids before the award ceremony. My partner and I gave a standing ovation to the first-place team.”

Smith and Gidwani were accompanied at the finals by both of their families as well as their mentor, Dr. Goutham Narla, a member of the Mt. Sinai Medical Center staff. “We were really happy our mentor was there,” said Smith. “Not to toot our own horn, but no other projects or students had their mentor there. And I think that’s a testament to the fact that he was really excited and happy that we were there. He was just amazed.”

Smith’s research teacher from Oceanside High School, Heather Hall, was also at the competition.

Even though the contest is over, Smith said that he and Gidwani plan to continue their research in the coming weeks. Smith said that they hope to publish a paper about their research by June and enter more competitions if the opportunity arises.

“The community has been unbelievable — phone calls, emails, texts,” said Smith’s mother, Deborah. “His fifth-grade teacher called, the pediatric dentist. It’s big for the community and for our family.

“I would say that it’s a highlight in our life,” she added.