Oak Ridge High School students Cassee Cain and Ziyuan Liu won the regional championship and a $6,000 team scholarship at the Siemens Competition in Math, Science and Technology Nov. 5 at Georgia Tech in Atlanta. Under the guidance of Boyd Evans and John Mueller, ORNL biomedical engineers, Cain and Liu developed a project that uses Kinect for Xbox 360 and Computer Vision to analyze human gait. The results may aid in the development of an accurate, affordable device to detect abnormal gait patterns.
How do you feel about winning this phase of the competition?
Cain and Liu: At first, we did not even consider the possibility of earning any awards at all. Earning the title of regional finalist and top 30 in the nation more than satisfied our goals, but winning the title of national finalist, top six in the nation, is a dream come true for us. We are more than ecstatic about up the upcoming stage of the competition.
How do you feel about going on to the next part of the competition?
Cain and Liu: We felt very well prepared for the regional competition thanks to our mentors, Boyd Evans and John Mueller, and our teachers, Benita Albert, Tammy Carneim, and Jessica Kile. Because of them, we believe that we are even more prepared for nationals.
How do you like working at the ORNL?
Liu: Working at the laboratory is definitely a privilege for us. The amazing facility and experience aside, I always have to ask myself, how many 17-year-old students have the opportunity to work in a national laboratory?
What do you hope to gain from your lab experience?
Cain: We already have the incredible experience of working at the Lab. Getting an early start in the laboratory environment not only contributed to the amount of knowledge that we have gained, but it also contributed to our maturity as young adults.
Is there anyone in particular that you would like to thank?
Cain and Liu: We would like to give special thanks to Boyd Evans, John Mueller, Benita Albert, Tammy Carneim, and Jessica Kile for spending endless hours proofreading our documents and presentations. We would also like to thank Ziyuan's father, Bo, for suggestions and our friends and teachers at our high school for their endless support and enthusiasm.