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Students are only allowed to compete in one qualifying regional fair, and then another larger qualifying fair such as a state fair, said Michele Glidden, director of science and education programs for the Society for Science and the Public, the organization that runs the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. The rule is to keep students from jumping from one qualifying fair to another until he or she is finally allowed to move on, she said.

So he was disqualified for not following the rules, then tried to get around that by playing the ever-popular "Duh, I didn't know the rules..." card. The one that always works with police and courts. Any fault lies with him, his parents, or his advisors. One of them should have had the sense to check it out.

There's already the Intel Science Talent Search, which used to be the Westinghouse Science Talent Search back when Westinghouse mattered.

Google's people are working on cool stuff. Sudoku solving for Android. Trying to acquire Groupon. Buying a yacht. Meanwhile, Google search quality is slipping. Google needs to focus.

This is, for the first time, a Slashdot article that I am incredibly qualified to comment upon. I graduated from high school last year, and when I graduated, I was named one of the top 40 science students in the nation through the Intel Science Talent Search, where I met leaders of industry, Intel's top scientists, education policymakers, and President Obama himself at the White House.

I can speak to the fact that these science "competitions," especially the major ones (ISEF, STS, JSHS, Siemens), are basically misnamed. They aren't so much competitions as they are organizations who try to determine which students have best displayed future potential for their fields. It's not like a one-on-one "science off" where two students try to one-up one another with their mastery of arcane mathematical facts; it's a bunch of students, all of whom are amazing in their own right, versus panels of distinguished judges. You don't "compete" beyond the fact that an organization can't give an award to everyone - in fact, some of my best friends are the ones that I met through these competitions.

Also, I want to add my two cents about why I do science as an undergraduate, now, at Stanford. I fancy myself a pretty smart guy, and yet I'm going into this field that just about every commenter here is poo-pooing. Why? Frankly, because I'm young and idealistic. I think everyone is overestimating the impact that money has on how high school students plan their lives - it's only one of a great number of motivators for us. Certainly, I know I spew platitudes because I've never been poor, but I've seen people who came from poverty do incredible things at science fairs at the high school and college level, and who continue to be interested in basic chemistry or physics. I know from direct experience that young students were inspired when they saw the picture of me with Obama, circulated in my state newspaper and widely across my K-12 school.

I haven't done the calculations to figure out what I'm going to earn when I do science, and in my experience, neither have most high school students today. I think that a lot of commentators are speaking down from their post-college clouds and trying to say that money motivates adults, so obviously it will motivate students. That's true, but there's so much that you're missing by reducing motivation to money only. What's "cool" is a huge deal in high school; what role models inspire you is another; and the opportunity to meet Obama - OBAMA - is probably as much of a motivation as all the money in the world.

Looking for a local science fair. Check out http://www.societyforscience.org/. the Society for Science and the Public runs the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. There are state, regional and local fairs that feed into this. It covers all the science and engineering areas. There is probably one in your local area. I run one in New Jersey and it is still surprising how many local students never hear about it because the teachers don't know or don't tell them about it. Giving extra credit or foregoing a final is a great way to support the student's effort without having to put in a lot of extra time. In fact, it often means telling the student about the fair and signing a form that indicates where they attend school.