Contact: Tammy Lane • First Posted: Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Three students from Paul Laurence Dunbar High School earned honors in the 2010 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, the premiere global science competition for students in grades 9-12.

In the Grand Awards ceremony, Joseph Corbett Ferguson and Roshan Palli received a second-place award in the team projects category and a $1,500 prize for “RNAi as a Safe Method of Insect Population Control.”

Eugenia Pushkarskaya got third place in Animal Sciences and a $1,000 prize for “The Effect of Plumage Coloration on Extra-Pair Paternity in the Indigo Bunting.”

Joseph and Roshan also received a Ricoh Sustainable Development Award of $12,500. Ricoh Americas Corp. recognizes entries that offer the greatest potential for growing environmentally friendly and socially responsible businesses.

The Intel ISEF, which this spring was May 9-14 in San Jose, Calif., is the world’s largest international pre-college science competition. It provides a forum for more than 1,600 high school students from some 50 countries, regions and territories to showcase their independent research.