| Message in a Molecule | ||
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A studious woman is working through the early-evening hours in a pristine lab full of scientific equipment at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Pausing to carefully record her impeccable research notes, she concentrates on supporting a hypothesis that will clarify the method in which one could hide coded messages in DNA. By using a special molecule, she hopes to be able to recover the message. She will report her latest findings to her mentor, Carter Bancroft, a professor of biophysics and physiology. At first glance one would assume that the woman is a highly trained scientist. But she is, in fact, only 17. Viviana Risca's hard work in the lab gained her national attention when from among some 1,500 entries she was awarded a $100,000 scholarship as the winner of the Intel-Science Talent Search. The award, known as the Junior Nobel Prize, is an honor shared with people who went on to receive Nobel prizes and National Medals of Science. Viviana was invited to a gala occasion in Washington, D.C., where she was honored for her achievement. She was delighted to meet winners from other fields of study who were also being honored. Her heavy-duty science project was titled "DNA-based Steganography." To help you understand the process a little, here's the basic gist of how it works: Viviana used a simple code to convert letters of the alphabet into combinations of the four bases that make up DNA. She did this by spelling out the message "June 6 Invasion: Normandy," in honor of Professor Bancroft's military career. Next she inserted the code into simple synthetically created DNA molecules and put it between other molecules in the DNA order. Then, using a specific biochemical process, Viviana could read the message, and a special laboratory was able to provide her with a printout of her successful experiment. Viviana's favorite illustration of a possible use for the data encryption is to apply the concept to genetically reengineered food. If a company produced a delicious new type of tomato, they could hide their company trademark in code in the tomato's molecules, and no one else could lay claim to the creation of that type of tomato. "When I was about 15," she confides, "I was doing some reading in the library and became interested in the mysteries of science. It truly intrigued me." She began to learn more by reading about steganography (the art of communicating by using invisible means) and cryptography (the study of methods of encoding and decoding information.) The following fall she was surprised to find that her interests were going a different route than those of some of her friends. "I was shocked that year when I started back to school, and suddenly everyone except me was smoking cigarettes. It was strange how people had changed. Some of my friends went on to try drugs. Later most of them sort of grew out of it, but it is sad that some of them didn't grow up and stop smoking and doing drugs, and I don't know where they are now." Viviana says she is glad that she never felt the need to experiment with cigarettes, alcohol, and other drugs. "There are too many other things that I am interested in, and too many other things I want to do with my life," she concludes. Dabbling in harmful and addictive substances probably would not have been conducive to helping her channel her energies into discovering amazing scientific facts and landing a scholarship for her college education. What is her horizon now? "I am so excited, because after spending the summer visiting friends in New York, I'll enter college at Stanford this fall," Viviana says enthusiastically, her speech still tinged with a Romanian accent, since she and her family immigrated to the United States fewer than 10 years ago. As is often the case, great minds think alike. Viviana's father, Mahai Risca, holds several patents and works as an engineer who creates mechanical designs. Her mother is also an engineer. Viviana plans to follow in her mother's career path by studying computer science and augmenting her studies with biology courses. If you've guessed that Viviana is a very sharp cookie, you've guessed right. She graduated with honors from Paul D. Schreiber High School in Port Washington, New York, and is heading for college armed with very high SAT scores. Still, she indicates that intellectual stimulus is not what drives her. She has followed her natural interests and has always pushed herself to do her best. Besides being gifted in these areas and having a high grade point average, Viviana is also a highly artistic person. "I really enjoy painting, and I hope to do more of that before I have to start studies at college. I also like to do pottery and write poetry." Viviana has been very active in writing and editing her high school's literary publication. She has also had some of her poetry published. Some of her other awards include being the winner of the National Council of Teachers of English writing competition for penning an impromptu essay and presenting a collection of her writing. Considering that English is her second language, this award is doubly impressive. Viviana Risca is modest about the numerous science and writing awards that she has accumulated. Clearly she has a good head on her shoulders. Fortunately, to the relief of the rest of us who aren't quite as far along in tackling personal challenges as she is, she still doesn't have everything quite figured out. When questioned about her future, Viviana is slightly pensive. "Well, I'm not exactly sure what I'll do after college as far as my career is concerned, but I've definitely discovered my main interests. And I don't have to have everything all planned yet." Viviana has confidence in herself and knows that she wants to continue making good decisions. After all, that is how she got this far and has enjoyed the stunning introduction into the world of molecular biology. |