1997-98
NEW MEXICO
HIGH SCHOOL
SUPERCOMPUTING CHALLENGE

TEAM ABSTRACT

Team Number:

066

School Name:

Goddard

Area of Science:

Medicine-Epidemiology

Project Title:

OutBreak

Disease is a word that strikes fear and challenge into the community of scientists throughout the entire world. The challenge of the Goddard High School team is to gather data and facts about modern contagious disease outbreaks; such as AIDS, Hantavirus, and Ebola. We will then identify the significant parameters that lead to the creation and spread of contagious diseases, and identify those parameters that lead to reduction in the spread of those diseases. The team will create a program that simulates the spread of contagious diseases with respect to the identified parameters. These parematers may be modified by the program's users so that they may test their hypothesis. For instance, what happens if a new lethal virus goes undetected for six months rather than one month? What happens if that lethal virus is an air-borne virus rather than a sexually transmitted virus? Our program compares and contrasts these scenarios through probability-based, random simulations.

Team Members:

• Brian Swearingen
• Grant Ross
• Robert Willhelm
• Frank Shirley
• Kenneth Petterson

Sponsoring Teacher(s):

• Dr. Pam Tipton
• Mr. Greg Anderson

Project Advisor:

• Dr. Jonas Salk
• Madame Curie