Alltech Reveals 2012 Young Scientist Regional Winners



Alltech Equipped with new iPads and $500/$1000 for their undergraduate/graduate research, eight budding scientists are now packing bags for an all expenses paid trip to the 2012 Alltech Young Scientist Global Competition in Lexington this May. These undergraduate and graduate students learned of their good fortune this week when Alltech notified them as regional winners of its 2012 Young Scientist Competition, which received a record 7000 registrations from students in 46 countries.

Regional winners bound for final competition in Kentucky, USA, include:

Europe
Graduate - Anna Kiseleva, Russian State Agrarian University-Moscow, Russia
"Complex molecular genetic testing on increasing the litter size in pigs"

Undergraduate – Olena Nesterenko, Sumy National Agrarian University, Ukraine
"Development of and prevention of campylobacteriosis – Quality and safe poultry products"

North America
Graduate – Qian Wang, University of California, Davis, USA
"Effects of inorganic versus organic copper on denitrification and nitrous oxide reductase activity in peat soil"

Undergraduate – Hannah Leventhal, Kansas State University, USA
"The addition of Megasphaera elsdenii to in vitro cultures of equine cecal microorganisms fed starch or fructan"

Latin America
Graduate - Alejandra Espinoza, Universidad de Chile, Chile
"Effects of dietary iron overload in pigs with induced type 2 diabetes mellitus"

Undergraduate – Gisele Greghi, Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil
"Organic selenium combined with vitamin E and sunflower oil in the diet of lactating dairy cows: the production benefits of nutrition and animal and human health"

Asia Pacific
Graduate - Mohd Ashraf Rather – Central Institute of Fisheries Education, India
"Chitosan-conjugated hormone nanoparticles sustain surge of gonadotropins and enhance reproductive output in female fish"

Undergraduate - Dilan Rasika Dissanayaka – University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
"Milks fermented with Saccharomyces cerevisiae K7 and Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis NBRC 12007 partially inhibit the activity of Angiotensin l-Converting Enzyme (ACE)"

For the first time, this year's regional competition included a first round of zone competition. A complete list of zone winners can be found at AlltechYoungScientist.com or the Alltech Young Scientist Program Facebook page.

"The Young Scientist Competition encourages students to push the traditional boundaries in their research areas, to think bigger and to have faith in their ability to change the world with their research," said Dr. Inge Russell, scientific advisor to the Alltech Young Scientist Program.

The global undergraduate and graduate winners will be announced in May at Alltech's 28th International Symposium in Lexington, Ky., USA. They will receive a trophy and a scholarship of $5000 and $10000 respectively.

"When these students depart Lexington after the finals, they will do so with new skills that help them better communicate their research, with feedback and enlightenment from leading scientists in their specific research areas and friends that will mentor, encourage and inspire them long after the competition has ended," continued Dr. Russell.

Now in its seventh year, the Alltech Young Scientist Program convenes the world's brightest collegiate-level thinkers and rewards their scientific achievements. For further information, visit AlltechYoungScientist.com or connect with the Alltech Young Scientist Program on Facebook.

3.29.2012