62nd Annual STS (2002-2003)
Finalists
Scott Bailey Zeglin

TEXAS
Scott Bailey Zeglin, 18, of The Woodlands, entered the Intel Science Talent Search with a project in microbiology. He studied the efficacy of using a bacteriophage (CK-2) to combat the deadly pathogen, Vibrio vulnificus, found in high concentration in the ballast water discharged from ocean-going vessels. Scott tested the naturally occurring virus CK-2 against colonies of V. vulnificus, and four related bacteria, grown in a petri dish and in a simulated marine environment. The bacteriophage successfully destroyed V. vulnificus in both environments, but had no effect on the related bacteria. Scott believes his research could lead to a safe, cost-effective treatment of ballast water for a range of dangerous bacteria. Scott is on the varsity basketball and golf teams at Oak Ridge High School in Conroe, where he is first in his class. He is president of the Biotech Club, senior class vice president, and a member of the all-district academic basketball team. He volunteers as a basketball coach during the summer. The son of Mike and Cindy Zeglin, Scott hopes to enter a pre-med or biomedical engineering program at Notre Dame, become an orthopedic surgeon and develop new medical techniques.