Minor planet named after Fil-Am student in US — report

Filipinos have been shining brightly at the Intel science and engineering fairs in the United States. Recently, an asteroid was named after the Philippine Science High School student who placed second in one of the categories at the 2011 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel-ISEF) in Los Angeles, California in the United States. A year before, a minor planet (26740) has been named after a Filipino-American after placing first in one of the categories at the 2010 Intel-ISEF, a Philippine Star report on Thursday said. Intel-ISEF is a high school science competition of the Society for Science and the Public and Intel Foundation. According to the report, the planet was discovered by the Lincoln Near Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) Program of Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory. The report said Martin Ayalde Camacho is now a freshman at Harvard College under US presidential scholarship. He won the award when he was still in Central High School in St. Paul Minnesota, the report added. The award was announced recently by Dr. Grant Stokes, head of the Aerospace Division and principal investigator of the LINEAR program, the report added. Camacho is the son of University of the Philippines alumni Godofredo Camacho Jr. and Patricia Ayalde, who are based in St. Paul, Minnesota. Asteroid named after Pinoy student Earlier this week, an asteroid was reported be named after the Philippine Science High School student Miguel Arnold Reyes for placing second in one of the categories at the Intel-ISEF. Reyes received the award for his project on producing a natural and biodegradable substitute for commercial film plastics. Reyes' project won $1,500 (approximately P58,800) in the Materials and Bioengineering category of the 2011 Intel-ISEF. Another Filipino student, Angeli Joyce Dy of Capiz National High School also won fourth place in the Biochemistry category at the 2011 Intel ISEF. Dy received $500 (approximately P21,000) for her research on milkfish serum as an alternative supplement for the culture of human lung and colon carcinoma cells. - VVP, GMA News