First place winner Katie Everett from Huron High School in Ann Arbor, Mich.

On April 7, Katie Everett from Huron High School in Ann Arbor, Mich., was one of two national finalists awarded a $50,000 college scholarship for taking first-place honors in the Young Epidemiology Scholars Competition, one of the nation’s most prestigious and influential high school science competitions.

The YES Competition, sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and administered by the College Board, is designed to spur students’ interest in the field of public health, specifically epidemiology. Epidemiology explores patterns of disease, illness and injury within populations, with the goal of developing methods for prevention, control and treatment to
improve health.

YES competitors each developed a research project in which they identified a health problem, gathered data about the issue and developed a solution based on the data they compiled. Everett was selected from among 60 high school student finalists who were chosen from more than 550 students from across the country who submitted projects. The 60 students competed in the final competition held in Washington, D.C., April 4-7, during which each student presented his or her project and fielded questions from a panel of judges that included some of the nation’s top epidemiologists, as well as high school teachers and curriculum developers.

Everett, a high school senior, recognized that the results of a 2004 sociology study on adolescent sexual networks could significantly change our understanding of how the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine will reduce new HPV infections in adolescents. Her study, entitled “Chains of Infection: A Sexual-Network Based Model Evaluating the Impact of Human Papilloma Virus Vaccination on Infection Prevalence in an Adolescent Population,” features an innovative mathematic model she developed as part of the project. Everett’s model utilizes the findings from the 2004 study to test the effects of different levels of vaccination in adolescent girls or boys to prevent the spread of HPV. She found that the effectiveness of the HPV vaccine to prevent new infections among adolescents was two to three times greater than the previous research, based on adult sexual networks, had shown.

For more information about the YES Competition, click here.

Interim VP Fred Dietrich

Spring has finally arrived in the Midwestern Region, and not a moment too soon. The fairer weather provides the perfect setting for the many conferences and workshops we have planned.

The College Board’s largest public, professional development conference for AP® teachers and administrators was held March 18-19. Triton College, in River Grove, Ill., kindly lent their campus during their spring break to accommodate this conference that attracted nearly 1,600 participants and offered 64 sessions.

Beginning this month, MRO is offering a series of 54 Pre-AP® workshops at 11 host schools throughout Minnesota. These workshops are funded by grants from the Minnesota Department of Education, which are intended for teacher training to raise student achievement. One way to do this is by providing access in grades 6-12 to Pre-AP/AP strategies and classes through more teacher professional development. The professional development offers teacher professionals the time to determine and align essential outcomes within subject areas, across curricular areas and across buildings. The MRO staff continues to work closely with the Minnesota Department of Education to provide high-quality professional development and to align workshops with the larger strategic goal of preparing all students to succeed in rigorous coursework.

The Midwestern Regional Council and the 2009 Midwestern Regional Forum Program Planning Committee are scheduled to meet in late May. Among their many business items will be reviewing submissions and setting the agenda of sessions for next year’s Midwestern Regional Forum.

Also the second annual Prepárate™: Educating Latinos for the Future of America conference will take place in Chicago, May 22-23, at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place. Prepárate™ brings together members from higher education, secondary schools, middle schools and community-based organizations — with the common goal of increasing Latino student success at the postsecondary level. For more information, please visit the Web site by clicking here.

Rep. David Obey (D-WI), chairman of the House Appropriations Committee and Gaston Caperton, College Board president

On April 9, the College Board honored David Obey, D-Wis., the distinguished chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, with the Lifetime Achievement in Education Award for his work supporting equity and excellence
in education.

The award recognizes Obey’s ongoing efforts to improve national education standards and his strong support for allocating funds to education. In his 38-year career as a congressman, Obey has voted for and authored multiple bills pressing for federal funding of public education and programs, such as Head Start, in addition to pushing for expanded student financial aid. He has said he considers education a national priority because of the doors it can open to future success and because of his own experience with economic disadvantage during his college years.

“That experience burned into me the conviction that access to education ought to be based on how much you are willing to learn and how hard you are willing to work, not on how many dollars your family has in their bank account,” he said.

College Board President Gaston Caperton said Obey’s long-standing commitment to education makes him a worthy recipient of the honor.

“Chairman Obey is an advocate for education for every child, and that is the core of our message here at the College Board,” Caperton said. “We consider him a true ally in our endeavor to improve education and bolster its opportunities. It’s a privilege to recognize him with this award.”