Li, HaoQi
Part II 1
While still a toddler, I liked staring at plants, playing with dirt, and capturing caterpillars. My attitude towards science, even from the very beginning, has been one of love.
I have contemplated the movement of the stars and the planets ever since my grandfather pointed out to me the North Star, and showed me the stripes of Jupiter and rings of Saturn through our telescope. I remember walking home one day in second grade; I asked Grandfather: "What is the shape of the universe?" He could not answer and I thought to myself: "I hope I can find the answer when I grow up."
Holding the constellation guides, I first connected the dots of Orion and Taurus. However, I stumbled upon an additional point of light. After thinking for a few minutes, I suddenly remembered the planets! Flipping to the planet charts, I confirmed that the dot was Jupiter.
My eyes are looking into a deeper level. The more I appreciate the mysteries and beauty of science, the more I think, question, and search for answers.
To learn more, I joined Northern Virginia Astronomy Club. After years of volunteering through NASA's Night Sky Network program, I received the second place on the 2006 Jack Horkheimer Service Award by the Astronomical League.
Last summer, I researched to design a probe that detects the Borrelia lonestari bacteria. The problem was to find the most unique location on the gene. My mentor suggested a sequencing program, but it required avery tedious process. I then asked other students and searched online until I found a series of programs that provide the relatedgenes for comparison, alignsthem, and color-codes the unique base pairs. Looking through the 1000 base pairs, I easily pinpointed the best location – a region with 10 base pairs uniquely deleted.
Word count: 300
Part II 2
Both the expanding dimensions of the universeand the shrinking world of the microbes drive my curiosity and interest. The tools used to research both fields also attract me. I am surprised to discover many new worlds by using these tools.
During DNA Science class in school, the standard Polymerase Chain Reaction experiments caught my attention because of its cleverness and usefulness in doing biology research on tiny molecules. I applied for the Science and Engineering Apprentice Program hoping to put my knowledge into real laboratory work. To my delight, my internship not only had a PCR, but had a more powerful quantitative PCR (qPCR) machine. In step with the latest technology, qPCR connects biotechnology with computers, thus significantly increasing the accuracy and efficiency of data collection. With the scrutiny of electric-controlled temperatures and a digital clock, I relied on this machine to collect data for almost the entire research project.
The microscope also fascinates me. With a cheap microscope bought from Toys R' Us, I am able to explore the world of the tiny organisms. It gives me a different perspective of nature—spikes on a cricket's leg, cells on a slice of leaf, and complex shapes of alien-like creatures in a single drop of pond water.
The telescope brings me yet another world. The majestic ring of Saturn and the stripes of Jupiter are only the beginning of the universe. The whirlpool galaxy, 37 million light years away, jumps in front of my eyes as if I could snatch it out of my 8-inch reflecting scope. I have already located and logged 80/110 Messier galaxies, nebulae, and star clusters; I could not really count, for the universe is limitless.
Word count: 281
Part II 3
Sometimes ideas pop into my mind. I like to follow up on these ideas to make discoveries and to learn.
The summer when I was 14, I discovered a little spider in my room. Just as I was about to squish it, I suddenly got the idea of keeping it in a container and doing some research on the life of a spider. After a few hours in the container, Sarah, the spider, spun a web and I wrote my first journal entry with a sketch of her web. For the next few weeks, I dropped in ants and other small insects, closely observing and logging her movements. I learned that the spider had a specific dining area and could sense the minute movements of a second prey, even while busily wrapping upa first. The most exciting part was when my spider spun an egg sac with more than 100 babies crawling out a few days later. Based on my logs, sketches, and photographs of Sarah, I compiled a research paper and became a Finalist in the Young Naturalist Award 2004sponsored by the AmericanMuseum of Natural History.
Sometimes, restrooms are almost unbearable because of the odor. One day, three years ago, while flushing the toilet, I noticed the noise of the fan from the ceiling. The ventilation is actually sucking up the odor and blowing up bacteria from the toilet and getting mixed in the air, making the restroom stinky and uncomfortable, especially in public facilities. I quickly drew a schematic of a new idea: installing ventilation on the toilet itself to absorb the bad smell. As I was about to build my idea, I found that Miracle Seats® have already come up with the plan. Nevertheless, a good thinking was a great exercise for the brain.
Word count: 300
Part II 4
I have inherentlytaken initiative in manyinterests, such as studying the behaviors of animals, contemplating the interactions in nature, and observing the cosmos.
My love of astronomy led me to participate in the TJSat project of the Excelsior Club and Systems Engineering Class, which is comprised of designing, building, and launching the first high school pico-satellite in three years. We doface many issues and need a lot of technical and monetary help. Therefore, we set up the first annual Northern Virginia Student Aerospace Conference (NVSAC)in April 2007 to support the TJSat Project( As the chair of NVSAC and the Vice President of Excelsior Club, I am leading the team in seekingknowledge from professionals, evaluatingthe feasibility of potential payload missions, and sendingfunding letters. So far, Orbital Sciences has donated the CubeSat Kit and agreed to provide us with a launch in 2009.
It is my pleasure to have met many experts through attending aerospace-related meetings and conferences. For instance, at the amateur radio downlink, I had the opportunity to communicate with the first female space tourist, Anousheh Ansari,through The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation.
As the Chair of the first NVSAC, I have the responsibility to set up the foundation for future conferences. Communicating with the county and school science directors, I have created the Planning Committee, composed of both students and teachers, to work together to plan the agenda, invite speakers, and publicize the conference.
To inspire young people to like science and space, NVSAC allows 200-500 high school students in the area to attend premier aerospace lectures and discussions at the Udvar-Hazy Air and SpaceMuseum in April 2007.
Word count: 277
Part II 5
Based on my experience, despite having the idea and passion for science projects, I also need to carefully plan, organize, and schedule to make these projects come true.
The most critical job ofa chair of any conference is to plan and organize in advance. As the Chair of the Northern Virginia Student Aerospace Conference, I started with the biggest issue—proposing the time and location of the conference, and then I arrangedthe details, such as what topics should be presented, which speakers should be invited, and which students should attend. Even though the conference is still six months away, it would not be possible without continuous planning and re-planning throughout these months.
Also, in the three-year TJ Satellite Project, our team hasto set big milestones and smaller deadlinesjust like in the professional field. Planning with Orbital Sciences, our main sponsor, we have set up a three year plan: finish the critical design review (first year), finish building (second year), and test and launch the satellite (third year).
Planning not only applies to organizing a 300-student conference, it also affects my research project down to the molecular level. While testing the molecular probe that I designed for the bacteria Borrelia lonestari, I saw that the Borrelia coriaceae sample turned out to be unexpectedly positive. After multiple unsuccessful trials, I thought about the issue, read articles, and asked my mentors. I finallysolved the problem by raising the temperature of the polymerase chain reaction. Science experiments do not always go the way that is expected; the best solution to handle imperfection is to find another perspective in order to solve the problem.
Word count: 274