65th Annual STS (2005-2006)
Finalists
Anna Jolene Mork

WASHINGTON
Anna Jolene Mork, 17, of Shoreline, entered the Intel Science Talent Search with a botany project that investigated molecular autofluorescence in the alga Acetabularia acetabulum and the multicellular plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Fluorescent markers and probes are an important tool in cellular biology, but in order to use them effectively it is important to understand the autofluorescence of the organism under study. As part of her project, which has been submitted for journal publication, Jolene compared results from two fluorescence imaging techniques - confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and epifluorescence microscopy (EM) - to determine the presence of certain fluorescent molecules. She found that chlorophyll was the primary autofluorescence compound in the cells and concluded that CLSM is preferable over EM because it differentiates between autofluorescence and induced fluorescence. First in her class of 385 at Shorewood High School, Jolene plans to study chemistry and biochemistry at Pomona College or Swarthmore. The daughter of Loren and Laura Mork, she enjoys recreational soccer, playing the clarinet, cooking and volunteering.