Angela Zhang (scientist)

Angela Zhang
Born1994 (age 29–30)
Cupertino, California, U.S.
Alma materHarvard College
Scientific career
InstitutionsStanford University
Harvard College

Angela Zhang (born 1994) is an American scientist who in 2009, at the age of fourteen, began to research at Stanford University.[1][2] By 2011, Zhang's research won the $100,000 Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology, and earned her widespread notability[3][4][5] for her research on cancer treatments with iron oxide gold nanoparticles.[6][7][8] She graduated from Harvard in 2016, and is now at Stanford University.[6][9]

Education

While attending Monta Vista High School, Zhang was reading doctorate papers on bio-engineering and attending scientific conferences; by the age of fourteen, she had begun to work as a member of Stanford's research team.[6][5] In the fall of 2012, Zhang attended Harvard University,[6] where she majored in biomedical engineering and graduated in 2016,[1][9] after which she returned to Stanford University to participate in the 2016 Medical Scientist Training Program.[10]

Career and work

During high school, Zhang worked with a Stanford graduate student to research the cancer-fighting potential of a single nanoparticle.[2] In 2011, at age sixteen, she entered her cancer-killing nanoparticle research into the Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology, where she won first prize and a $100,000 scholarship, and the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, she also won first prize.[7][11][3] She was the only female finalist in the Siemens competition that year.[8] The following year, at the age of 17, Zhang went to the White House and presented her research to then-President Barack Obama.[4]

As an undergraduate at Harvard, Zhang and a group of other Harvard students continued to grow her nonprofit "Labs on Wheels" concept, which she had started in 2012.[9] It was made to provide refurbished laboratory equipment to American high schools. Labs on Wheels has garnered grants from Harvard and was the first place in the 2013 Harvard Undergraduate Women in Business Innovation Competition,[9] and a finalist in the 2015 Harvard President's Challenge.[1] Zhang presented the concept at the 2013 TEDxSan Jose.[9]

Major contribution

Zhang's research includes her exploration of the cancer-fighting potential of a single nanoparticle, which is known as the iron oxide gold nanoparticle.[2] During her time at Stanford, while still in high school, Zhang and the team found that this particular nanoparticle is able to do two valuable things. It can detect cancer and the nanoparticle can deliver chemotherapy drugs more efficiently to the cells.[1][2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Cirincione, Mary (May 12, 2015). "Cancer-Fighting Harvard Student Looks to a Future in STEM". U.S. News.
  2. ^ a b c d Poland, Jennifer (10 August 2012). "This Nanoparticle System May Lead To A Cure For Cancer". Business Insider. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  3. ^ a b Gresko, Jessica (12 December 2011). "17-year-old girl's cancer breakthrough". The Sydney Morning Herald. AP. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  4. ^ a b "South Bay student talks science with Obama". The Mercury News. 2012-02-07. Retrieved 2019-10-24.
  5. ^ a b Hartman, Steve (22 January 2012). "Calif. HS student devises possible cancer cure". CBS News. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  6. ^ a b c d Polland, Jennifer (13 August 2012). "Meet The Teen Who Invented A Nanoparticle System That Might Cure Cancer". Business Insider. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  7. ^ a b Wilson, Matthew (December 18, 2013). "Monta Vista grad Angela Zhang continues success at Harvard after winning Siemens competition". The Mercury News.
  8. ^ a b Estes, Adam. "This Cancer-Curing Teenager Is Probably Smarter Than You". The Atlantic. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  9. ^ a b c d e Stanger, Melissa; Robinson, Melia (10 September 2014). "19 Incredibly Impressive Students At Harvard". Business Insider. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  10. ^ "Medical Scientist Training Program: MSTP Students (2009–2020)". Stanford University. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  11. ^ Chong, Susan Burns (2014-07-15). Step-by-Step Guide to Innovating at School & Work. The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. p. 47. ISBN 9781477777862.