63rd Annual STS (2003-2004)
Finalists
Moriah Katherine Nachbaur

CALIFORNIA
Moriah Katherine Nachbaur, 17, of Redwood City, investigated the conservation of gene function between plant species by examining the translatability of two altered genes from Arabidopsis thaliana, a plant in the mustard family, into Nicotiana tabacum, a tobacco plant, for her Intel Science Talent Search project in botany. To introduce the Arabidopsis genes into the Nicotiana, Moriah also developed a new in vitro transformation protocol. In her two-phase study, she first generated transgenic Nicotiana and observed that the altered genes from the Arabidopsis produced similar effects in Nicotiana. In the second phase, she grew plants from the seeds of the transgenic Nicotiana, confirming gene function transferability from the parents. Moriah believes her work could lead to the development of novel plant forms with a variety of applications. At Crystal Springs Uplands School in Hillsborough, Moriah plays varsity badminton. A classical pianist and an award winning photographer and poet, she has earned many science honors. The daughter of Dr. Thomas and Susan Nachbaur, Moriah hopes to earn an M.D./Ph.D. and pursue a career in academic medicine or pharmacology.