Lakiesha R. Carr in the New York Times:
When 17-year-old Mary Masterman set out to build a spectrograph, she knew it would be no easy task. The device, an instrument used to identify characteristics of different kinds of molecules, can cost thousands of dollars, and Mary was building on a budget.
“I wanted to build one that was lower costing so it would be more available to anyone interested in spectrography,” Mary said.
A senior at Westmoore High School in Oklahoma City, Mary built the spectrograph at home for $300, and her project won the top prize of a $100,000 scholarship in the Intel Science Talent Search Monday night in Washington.
More here.