High school science superstar

Olivia Sheppard, a junior at Manlius Pebble Hill School in Dewitt, N.Y., was awarded first place overall in the Central New York Science and Engineering Fair March 30.

Research for her project, “Reduction of Circulating Tumor Cells by Induction of Apoptosis via a TRAIL-Functionalized, Nanostructured Shunt Device,” was carried out in the Cornell Department of Biomedical Engineering with Professor Michael King and graduate student Andrew Hughes.

Sheppard will be a finalist in the 2014 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Los Angeles, May 11-16.