Phone: (405) 522-7806
Fax: (405) 521-6442
Email: droberts@ossm.edu
For Immediate Release
Nozlee Samadzadeh's research project, "SIORSS: Simulation of Influenza Outbreak in a Residential School Setting" won her third place honors in a national science competition. Samadzadeh was awarded a $20,000 scholarship for her work. An 18-year-old senior at the Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics (OSSM), Samadzadeh employed discrete event simulation to develop a computer model of an influenza outbreak using the Java programming language and used it to test different strategies for containing it. She found that vaccination and limiting the number of people that any student interacts with to be most effective, reducing the total number of cases by approximately 95 percent and 70 percent, respectively. Charles Dillard, professor of computer science at OSSM, acted as Samadzadeh's mentor for the project. According to Dillard, Nozlee's success can be attributed equally to her curiosity and intellect. He noted that "Nozlee assembled a multitude of diverse components and ideas into one program. Without her wide range of interests and talents, this project would not have been possible. I expect her to continue to distinguish herself in all her future activities."
Nearly 700 high school juniors and seniors nationwide entered the 2006 Young Epidemiology Scholars (YES) competition supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the College Board. A total of nearly $450,000 in college scholarships were awarded to the entrants at the regional and semi-regional finalists level, as well as the national winners.
Sixty
students from around the country were invited to
Samadzadeh is not new to national competitions. Her team
placed first in the nation in the Test of Engineering Aptitude, Mathematics,
and Science (TEAM+S) competition during her junior year at OSSM. She also
placed first individually and as a team member in the American Computer Science
League competition in her division. Samadzadeh is a National Merit Scholar, an Oklahoma Regents
for Higher Education Scholar, and a Silver Division Programmer of the USA
Computing Olympiad since her junior year.
Samadzadeh is the daughter of Drs. Farideh and Mansur Samadzadeh of
Samadzadeh will graduate with OSSM's fifteenth class in May. She attended Stillwater Schools before being selected to attend OSSM for her junior and senior years. The OSSM Class of 2006, with 59 students from 41 counties across Oklahoma, includes nine National Merit Finalists and 8 Commended Scholars, 3 candidates in the 2006 Presidential Scholars Program, 2 Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence Academic All-State Scholars, 26 Advanced Placement Scholars, 11 Robert C. Byrd Scholars, and 16 recipients of the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education Scholarship.
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The YES Competition seeks to spur students' interest in epidemiology - the branch of medicine that deals with the study of the causes, distribution, and control of disease among populations. "The YES Competition encourages students to use the same skills employed by epidemiologists to tackle important health challenges," said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, M.D., M.B.A., president and chief executive officer of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. "We couldn't be more proud of the initiative, talent and the hard work these students have displayed during this competition. We know they're going to be difference makers, dedicated to improving the lives of others." While the highly competitive scholarship contest focuses on epidemiology, application of the research skills used in the YES Competition extends far beyond that field.
The YES competition is funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and administered by the College Board. As the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country.
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The Oklahoma School of Science and
Mathematics (OSSM) is a state funded, residential high school for students with
exceptional ability in science and math who plan to pursue careers in science
and technology. Students from across the
state apply to OSSM during their sophomore year at their home high schools,
although a few have applied and been accepted during freshman year. Admission is a highly competitive process initiated
by written application. Approximately
300 young people apply each year for some 70-80 places. The admissions committee examines multiple
criteria including standardized test scores, previous grades, academic
recommendations from teachers, principals, and counselors, and special talents
and accomplishments. Semifinalists are
interviewed by review committees before the final selection is determined. In the school's 15 year history, students
have been admitted from all of
All courses taught at OSSM are
college level classes, taught by an ethnically diverse, accomplished, dedicated
faculty - two-thirds of the faculty hold doctorates in
their fields, and all have taught at the college level. Fourteen graduating
classes, 841 students, have generated 225 National Merit Scholars and 133
Commended Students, 188 Robert C. Byrd Scholars, 72 Oklahoma Foundation for
Excellence Academic All Stater Scholars, 412 Oklahoma
State Regents Scholars, 16 Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation Fleming
Scholars, and two Presidential Scholars.
OSSM graduates have received scholarship offers in excess of $55
million. The OSSM Class of 2000 and the
Class of 1998 achieved the highest composite ACT scores in the
OSSM is located on a 32-acre campus
in