ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Three students from Albuquerque’s traditional public high schools each earned $2,000 U.S. Savings Bonds in the fourth annual scholastic “It’s the Write Thing to Do” essay contest.
The program is sponsored by Sandia and Lockheed Martin Corp. as part of their commitment to promoting math, science and engineering education and encouraging students to consider careers in those areas.
The essay topics were: How can a carbon nanotube device direct light? How do hydrogen fuel cells work? How does membrane material developed at Sandia improve the effectiveness of fuel cells? To see all topics and winning essays visit Sandia’s Community page.
The questions were posed by Sandia National Laboratories scientists and engineers who judged the 750-word essays.
The winning students are Alexis Martinez and Zhenya Hu from La Cueva High School, and Ben Burnett from Del Norte High School.
“This is a great opportunity for students to explore scientific writing topics related to Sandia’s cutting-edge research,” said judge Kathleen Holt. “Students spend time understanding the fundamentals of each research topic. It is evident they have learned something new from the process. For us, it is wonderful to read what their perspectives are with respect to energy, water and disease.”
Sandia is a multiprogram national laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed Martin company, for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration. With main facilities in Albuquerque, N.M., and Livermore, Calif., Sandia has major R&D programs in national security, energy and environmental technologies, and economic competitiveness.