Prize Recipient

Luis Leal

Background:

My name is Luis Stephan Leal and I just graduated from Redwood High School in Visalia, California. This fall I am attending UC Santa Barbara as a physics major, with a strong interest in nanotechnology for alternative energy, medicine, and environment improvement. Energy shortage has become a drastic problem, the nation cannot continue depending on environmentally harmful foreign oil, since doing so negatively affects it. Recently, I have become quite interested in the field of physics and am hoping to help combat this threat to our national security by researching new sources of energy. As a physics major, I hope to lead the search for a more dependable source of energy. Additionally, I hope that in the future I will be able to start a corporation specializing in cheap renewable energy. This summer I am planning to intern at Nanotech institute at UC Santa Barbara. I am also very interested in this new breed of technology, and cant wait to dive deeper into the subject. All in all, Im a young student eager to learn and see where my study of physics will take me and where I will take this field with my contribution.