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Erika DeBenedictis' research to help spacecraft quickly and more easily travel to other planets has earned her a top student science award from Intel.

The 18-year-old from Albuquerque, N.M., took home the $100,000 first prize from Intel's 2010 Science Talent Search, an annual contest that challenges students to envision solutions to the scientific problems of today and tomorrow.

DeBenedictis' goal was to design a software navigation system that could help spacecraft more easily journey throughout the solar system. Her research discovered that gravity and the movement of the planets could create low-energy orbits to propel ships faster and with less fuel required.

Sponsored by Intel and run by the Society for Science and the Public, the talent search also awarded prizes to other enterprising students.

The top three winners of the 2010 Intel Science Talent Search with top award winner Erika DeBenedictis in the middle, David Liu in second place on the right, and Akhil Mathew in third place on the left.

To read the full, original article click on this link: Teen wins $100,000 Intel science award | Cutting Edge - CNET News

Author: Lance Whitney