JENNIFER NGUYEN

ARLINGTON CHRISTIAN SENIOR
RESEARCHES IN TOP SCIENCE LAB

 
Jennifer Nguyen of Douglasville has lots to say about how she spent her summer vacation.  The Arlington Christian senior traveled to Baltimore to spend 10 weeks as a Science and Engineering Apprentice through the US Army Education Outreach Program.  Elite science students gathered in the state-of-the-art laboratory at Aberdeen Proving Ground to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) research experiences.   

Outstanding students were chosen from a wide variety of Institutions and explored projects from slime to Kevlar.  Jennifer was recommended for the program by her physics teacher, David Enlow, and supervised by Arlington alumnus, Larry Holmes (Class of 1996). Jennifer's research project involved using the Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM) and equipment most high school students never see.

                While her work on hagflish slime sounds unglamorous, the research could have far-reaching implications.  Hagfish are marine organisms with unusual defense mechanisms.  When attacked by predators, the hagfish excrete slime which clogs the attacker's gills.  The slime has the ability to absorb more than 50 times its weight in seawater, and its superabsorbent properties could have many applications.

                "It was an adjustment as first, but I made so many friends and met people from all over the country.  It was a preview of college, and I could see what different fields of science and engineering would be like," Jennifer said. 

                Jennifer has many interests.  Through the Rotary Club of Douglas County, Jennifer attended the Rotary Youth Leadership Academy last summer in Americus. She works on school service projects through Interact which is sponsored at Arlington by Rotarian Karen Powell.  She also went to Washington, D.C., for the National Youth Leadership  Conference.  NYLC affords students the opportunity to meet Congressional leaders and government officials, tour historic sites and discuss policy and current events.

                Jennifer loves to swim and is part of the Stingrays at Boundary Waters.  She has concentrated on the 100-freestyle and the 100-backstroke.  She also swims for Arlington and was a student assistant for the team.  She placed second in the 100-backstroke event in the GISA meet at Georgia Tech.   She is an accomplished pianist who studies with Bobbie Gibbs of Douglasville. 

                Jennifer is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Sonny Nguyen.

ANDREW CROSBY

Kind, compassionate, and funny.

Son of Alex and Priscilla; Brother of Lauren, Jason, and Daniel.

Loves friends and family and feels blessed by God.

Goals: to be successful in life from ATL.