Paige Brown traveled to the final round of the nation’s most prestigious pre-college science competition in Washington, D.C. on March 15 and left the 2016 Intel Science Talent Search awards ceremony with the First Place Medal of Distinction in Global Good– and a $150,000 cash award from Intel.

The Global Good category rewards finalists who demonstrate great scientific potential through their passion to make a difference. Page’s project, Identifying and Remediating the Sources of Pollution in Impaired Bangor Streams, is the result of research she has conducted as part of the BHS STEM Academy under the direction of Science and Technology Department Chair Cary James.

In early January, Paige was named one of 300 Intel STS National Semifinalists, an honor that was eclipsed later that month by notification that she had been selected as one of 40 National Finalists. Paige joined that elite group in the nation’s capital to celebrate their research and to compete for top honors. Paige was one of three 2016 STS Finalists to earn First Place Distinction (Global Good), joining Amol Punjabi of Marlborough, Massachusetts (Basic Research) and Maya Varma of Cupertino, California (Innovation).

According to a press release, the Intel Science Talent Search “recognizes and empowers the most promising young scientists in the United States who are creating the technologies and solutions that will positively impact people’s lives.” 2016 marked the competition’s 75th year of the program, which is conducted by the Society for Science & the Public. Eight past STS competitors have gone on to earn a Nobel Prize.

Paige has been offered admission to the nation’s leading universities, including Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, and Yale University. As a junior, Paige was awarded a full scholarship to attend Drexel University based on the quality of her science research.