TAMPA, Fla. — An 18-year-old student from Tampa is one of 30 semifinalists in an international science competition.
A press release describes the Breakthrough Junior Challenge as, "a global science video contest that encourages students to create engaging and imaginative videos that demonstrate difficult scientific concepts and theories in the physical or life sciences. Think: Steven Spielberg meets Albert Einstein."
The winner of the competition will get $400,000 worth of prizes including a college scholarship and a new science lab for Carrollwood Day School.
The semifinalists' videos are up on the Breakthrough Junior Challenge's Facebook page where the general public can vote for a people's choice winner.
Ellen is from Tampa and currently attends Cornell University where she majors in physics. Her video can be seen here or below, she focused on Quantum tunneling, which is a phenomenon where certain particles can break through a barrier - think if humans were able to walk through walls.
Ellen tells us, "Because right now we're in the popular vote stage. So whichever video gets the most likes or positive reactions or comments, we'll be able to bypass the next round of judging."
According to a press release, Ellen "has always been interested in how the universe works, and knew this topic was the perfect choice. In her spare time she enjoys playing the violin and was a part of the Tampa Metropolitan Youth Orchestra."
The video which gets the highest number of combined total likes and positive reactions will be named the Popular Vote Top Scorer and will automatically bypass the next round of judging and be placed in the final round of judging.
