Suwanee Student Wins 'Burn Notice' Scholarship, TV Time

A Suwanee student has a $10,000 scholarship and some TV air time after winning a national science competition.

Craig Owenby of North Gwinnett High is the winner of the Burn Notice Science Challenge, sponsored by the USA Network TV series, according to a news release.

Owenby created a laser communications device that utilizes fluctuating brightness and electrical pulses to audibly transmit messages from more than 100 feet away and around a wall, the release said.

In addition to the scholarship money, Owenby earned a visit to the Burn Notice set recently, and he also is scheduled for an on-air mention on the show Thursday (Aug. 8), 9 p.m., according to a spokesperson for the show.

"I was blown away by all the creative, clever entries we received - these are some seriously brilliant kids,” Matt Nix, creator and executive producer of Burn Notice, said in the release. “STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) has always been a passion of mine, and I’m thrilled we were able to give these students a chance to demonstrate their talents in this area."

Developed in consultation with a panel of science teachers from around the country, high school students were asked to design a safe but exciting spy challenge that the show's characters might face, such as covertly communicating with other operatives, gathering intelligence on adversaries, or conducting surveillance of enemy territory.

After initial essay submissions, 25 finalists were selected to create a video demonstrating their proposed solutions to the challenge. Each entry was judged  by the panel of teachers and the show's writers and producers.

Burn Notice, in its seventh and final season, follows the formerly blacklisted spy Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan), who is working under-the-radar with the CIA on special projects.

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