Four move on to international science, engineering fair

In the rich world, a flashlight battery is a convenience in an emergency, like when you drop your keys outside at night. In the poor world, it can be a fundamental — and very expensive — necessity.

That was the core of the problem 17-year-old Albuquerque high school student Andrew Miller tackled this year. His effort to develop a simple technology to extend the life of flashlight batteries won him a trip to Phoenix to represent central New Mexico in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, which runs from May 12-17.

More than a billion people worldwide lack electricity in their homes, and many spend a substantial portion of their small incomes on batteries to provide alternative light sources, Miller said Saturday.

Miller, who is home-schooled and takes classes through Rio Grande Enrichment Studies and Central New Mexico Community College, was one of some 450 area students who participated in this year’s Central New Mexico Science and Engineering Research Challenge.

Miller and the event’s three other top finishers will attend the International Science and Engineering Fair.

The other winners:

♦ La Cueva High School senior Alexandra Porter, 17. Porter, a largely self-taught computer programmer, studied ways to do more accurate calculations with inexpensive computer hardware.

♦ Albuquerque Institute for Mathematics and Science senior Soiba Mansoor, 16. Mansoor demonstrated the ability of the Indian herb fenugreek to lower cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure.

♦ Manzano High School senior Katherine Cordwell, 17, for a mathematical analysis of non-commutative algebra.