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'Biomedical Breakthroughs and My
Life'
Essay Contest for 7th and 8th graders
2009 Winners Announced!
Congratulations to the winners of our 2009 “Biomedical Breakthroughs and My Life” essay contest! Over 480 entries were received from 7th and 8th grade students throughout Oregon and Washington. Each essay was a personal story of how biomedical research has contributed to treatments for medical conditions affecting students or family members.
Our thanks to the 63 researchers who volunteered to be judges. The quality of the essays made the selection process difficult.
The winning students, their parents/guardians, and their teachers will be honored at an Awards Day on May 15th hosted by Swedish Medical Center. It will be an opportunity to meet scientists, tour labs and participate in hands-on activities.
We wish to thank our sponsors of this program: Puget Sound Center for Teaching, Learning and Technology (PSCTLT) and Lab Products, Inc.
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Overall Winners
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| #1 |
Stephanie |
Spiekerman |
Cystic Fibrosis
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Washington Middle School, Seattle |
Stella Bass |
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| #2 |
Jack |
Swiggett |
ALS |
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Washington Middle School, Seattle |
Stella Bass |
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| #3 |
Henry |
Flanagan |
Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma |
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Washington Middle School, Seattle |
Stella Bass |
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Western Washington Regional Winners |
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#1 |
Aidan |
Hurst |
Retinal Disease |
Intl Community School, Kirkland |
Tim Mc Faul |
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| #2 |
Alice |
Mar-Abe |
Myopia |
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Washington Middle School, Seattle |
Stella Bass |
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| #3 |
Grace |
Pyles |
Coronary Heart Disease |
St Pauls Academy, Bellingham |
Robin Frank |
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HM |
Dana |
Keyes-Gibbons |
Pacemakers |
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Washington Middle School, Seattle |
Stella Bass |
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| HM |
Daniel |
King |
Dementia |
Washington Middle School, Seattle |
Stella Bass |
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| HM |
Kellen |
Bryan |
Blood Clots |
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Washington Middle School, Seattle |
Stella Bass |
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| HM |
Nicole |
Hall |
Hodgkin’s Disease |
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Assumption St. Bridget School, Seattle |
Jeri Prewitt |
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ESL Washington Regional Winners |
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| HM |
Guadalupe Vicente |
Dominguez |
Asthma |
Washington Middle School, Seattle |
Stella Bass |
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| HM |
Yadira |
Perez |
TB |
Washington Middle School, Seattle |
Stella Bass |
Oregon Regional Winners |
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| HM |
Claire |
Makowski |
Vaccines |
St. Pius X, Portland |
Rachel Youm |
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| HM |
Jasmine |
Frakes |
DNA |
Ockley Green Middle School, Portland |
Kristin Erhardt |
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2008 Winners
From left to right: Molly Lindberg, Claire Sullivan, Melissa Piccard, Francis Wilson, Lindsey Vandergrift, Mary Yirdaw, Claudia Castro, Khadija Diallo.
Not pictured: Silke Bachhuber
About the Contest
How does biomedical research impact you? Have you (or has someone in your family) benefited from vaccinations, pharmaceutical drugs, medical devices, surgery, or transplants? How does biomedical research affect the health of your dog, cat, or other pet? How might biomedical research touch your life in the future?
NWABR is pleased to announce our popular middle school essay contest for students in Washington, Oregon, Montana, and Idaho.
This contest is open to all 7th and 8th grade students, whether entering as part of a class or individually. Awards are given for both regional and overall winners. Awards Day regional facility tours will be contingent upon the receipt of a minimum number of qualified entries in the region.
Awards are also given in an 'English as a Second Language/English Language Learners' category for students with five years or less of English learning.
The contest asks students to focus on how research has impacted, or has the potential to impact, someone they personally know. This could include describing the development of veterinary treatments (pets), or the process by which commonly used drugs are developed. Entries should address the importance of biomedical research and how animal models and/or human clinical trials contribute to medical breakthroughs.
Past Winners
View Web Page listing winners and read the winning essays!
List of winners (pdf)
Contest Photo Collage from our 2008 Awards Day! (pdf)
Children's Hospital Newsletter Article (pdf)
Download Awards Program Booklet (pdf)
The winning essays, selected from over 285 entries from 7th and 8th grade students throughout Washington and Oregon, were inspiring examples of the personal impacts of biomedical research. Through topics such as Alzheimer’s, the development of the polio vaccine, and treatments for cancer, students explored how research affects their own lives and the lives of their friends and families. All entries addressed how animal models and/or human clinical trials contributed to biomedical breakthroughs. The reflective paragraphs written by the students confirmed that this contest was a valuable introduction to biomedical research and the process of developing treatments and cures.
We wish to thank the 55 judges from the research community who volunteered their time to review and score the essays. The high quality of the essays made selecting the winners a difficult task.
Winning students, their teacher and a parent are invited to an Awards Day program at Seattle Children’s Hospital Research Institute. In addition to an awards ceremony, the program will include the opportunity to tour the facility, meet scientists, and participate in hands-on activities.
This program is made possible in part by support from Lab Products, Inc. and
the Puget Sound Center for Teaching, Learning and Technology (PSCTLT).

2007 Winners at the Allen Institute for Brain Science
For more information, contact:
Reitha Weeks, PhD
Program Manager and Resident Scientist
Northwest Association for Biomedical Research

NWABR is a 501(c)3 organization. All contributions
are tax deductible.
Copyright 1999-2008 Northwest Association
for Biomedical Research.
All rights reserved.
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