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www.pennlive.com 05/15/06

Science project earns scholarships for teen

Micah Toll, one of two midstate students competing in an international science fair in Indianapolis, received a $7,000 scholarship last night and was one of 11 students presented a national award for projects that address basic human needs.

Toll, 17, a Cedar Crest High School junior, won a $1,000 scholarship from the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance/Lemelson Foundation given to students whose projects show creativity, technological innovation and commercial promise to address critical basic human needs, he said.

He also received a $7,000 scholarship from Oregon State University if he enrolls in its engineering department. Toll won the two awards based on his idea of portable construction beams that could be used to build emergency shelters.

Toll and Eli Rosenwasser, a junior at Hershey High School, are representing the midstate at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Indianapolis. Both were senior grand champions at The Patriot-News Capital Area Science and Engineering Fair held in March.

Toll won two awards on the first night of the international competition. He was one of 11 students who received the scholarship from the foundation. More than 1,500 students were eligible for the award.

Two other awards ceremonies will be held today. One presents awards from governments and armed forces, and the second recognizes the best project in various categories.

The fair is the world's largest pre-college science competition, allowing students from around the globe to share ideas, showcase cutting-edge projects, and compete for more than $3 million in awards and scholarships, according to the fair's Web site.

Toll's and Rosenwasser's projects are among 330 entries in the engineering division, Toll said.

"It's a great honor to be here," Toll said. "It's really cool to be here with engineers from all over the world."

Toll's project won the grand championship at Cedar Crest's science fair and senior grand championship at The Patriot-News Capital Area Science and Engineering Fair. Rosenwasser's project involves a physics study of two types of electric guitar pickups for economic comparisons. He did not receive any awards last night.

Rosenwasser, whose family attended the Indianapolis fair, has said he gets most of his inspiration from his family, especially his father. He combined two passions into his project: his love of music and science.

Toll said he was moved by the experience of participating in such an event.

"These are some of the brightest minds in the world, and just to be able to compete with them is an amazing experience," he said. "These are the future leaders of the world."

The Patriot-News-sponsored Capital Area fair, in its 49th year, drew 300 entries from 52 public, private and parochial schools in eight central Pennsylvania counties. Entrants were judged on creative ability, scientific thought and technical skill.

Toll said he got the idea for his invention while watching TV images of refugees sheltering themselves with makeshift tents. He used his knowledge of science and engineering to design the material that could be used to build emergency shelters.

The beams create weatherproof, insulated shelters that can withstand up to 55,000 pounds of pressure and can be designed to allow fires inside, he said.

Toll hired a lawyer to conduct a professional patent search and has received a provisional patent. Several companies have contacted him about the technology, he said.

Toll said the companies heard about his idea through stories published about his wins at science fairs, including two in Arkansas, where his family lived before moving to Pennsylvania. The Tolls moved to North Cornwall Twp. last year when Toll's father, Ronald Toll, accepted an administrative post at Lebanon Valley College.

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