Lake Minnetonka Kids Demonstrate Mastery of Complex Subject Matter

The Perpich Center hosted the awards ceremony on May 21 for the Scholars of Distinction, high school students who are highly motivated and self-directed.

The Minnesota Department of Education recognized 43 scholars from across Minnesota that completed individual projects demonstrating mastery of a complex subject matter in the areas of science, leadership, mathematics, social studies and theater arts.

The following students were identified as 2011 Scholars of Distinction or honorable mention;

Science: Scholars of Distinction 

• Ishmam Ahmed (dual award winner), Wayzata High School: Regulation of Sonic hedgehog expression and activity during differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells
• Evan Chen, Wayzata High School: CD24 induced muscular regeneration: Unraveling the mystery behind satellite cell differentiation 
• Duligur Ibeling, Wayzata High School: Shape-memory liquid crystalline polymers with cholesterol mesogen.
• Pakzad Paimon, Blake School: Characterization of benign nevi and malignant melanomas using signature curves.
• Bo Sun, Wayzata High School: Establishment of long-term cultures of newt cardiomyocytes as an in vitro model for heart regeneration.
• Lawrence Wang, Wayzata High School: Bile acids, potent agents for improving kidney cryopreservation.

  Science: Meritorious Performance:

• Alex Spencer, Wayzata High School: An Exploration of Magnetism in Thin Film Strained LaCoO3
• Jeff Zhang, Wayzata High School: The effect of micro RNA regulated knockdown of Disrupted-in-Schizophrenia 1 (DISC1) gene on neural synapse formation

Mathematics: Scholars of Distinction

• Ishmam Ahmed (dual award winner), Wayzata High School: Regulation of Sonic hedgehog expression and activity during differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells

Leadership: Meritorious Performance

• William Sperduto, Orono High School: THATCH, Self-Discovery and Leadership

Theater Arts: Scholars of Distinction

•  Anna Hashizume, Wayzata High School: Acting/Musical Theater - Notable Women: Hitting Just the Right Note
• Dan Piering, Wayzata High School: Acting/Musical Theater - Music, Magic, and Morality in Theater

Theater Arts:  Meritorious Performance

• Haley Kurr, Wayzata High School: Acting/Musical Theater - Voices of Women