mmilliken@heraldsun.com; 419-6684
DURHAM -- When biology instructor Leslie Brinson traveled in December to a prestigious national scholastic science competition, she experienced a bit of role reversal.
"Usually, when I take kids away to a competition, I wake them up in the morning, I completely manage them -- OK, we're going to practice," said Brinson, a 15-year veteran on the N.C. School of Science and Mathematics staff. "Not him. He woke me up in the morning! He would get up at 4 in the morning and practice. And then if there's a break, he would take me over to the side to listen to his talk. I mean, you're talking about somebody who's so motivated and doesn't need an adult there to make sure he does what he's supposed to."
That somebody is Lanair Lett, a Henderson resident and senior at the state-run School of Science and Mathematics. And in a few weeks, he'll get another chance to show how exceptional he is. As one of 40 finalists in the 2010 Intel Science Talent Search, he will travel to Washington, D.C., in mid-March to be judged against the nation's best and brightest high school seniors.
Despite winning a $30,000 scholarship for finishing in fourth place in the individual category at December's Siemens Competition in Math, Science and Technology, this teenager with a hearty laugh is extremely reluctant to talk up his chances.
"We'll see," said Lett, whose first name is pronounced "len-air." "I think top 40 might be the end of the road for me, but we'll see."
Lett has already distinguished himself, however. At the tuition-free two-year residential school full of talented teens from around the state, he is the first student to be selected for the national science talent search since Intel became the sponsor 12 years ago. And Science and Mathe officials say Lett is the first person at the 30-year-old school to be a double finalist in what are now known as the Siemens science competition and the Intel talent search.
Lett has found everyone at the school to be supportive throughout the competitions.
"Which means a lot because knowing that you have that good foundation and people will be happy for you regardless of how you do is really important," he said.
He has also received congratulations from Gov. Beverly Perdue, Duke President Richard Brodhead and the Maria Parham Medical Center in Henderson, which has invited him to shadow its doctors for a day.
An independent organization called Project SEED got Lett the 2009 summer research opportunity at Duke's Stedman Metabolism and Nutrition Center that he has parlayed into success at scholastic competitions. But Lett is also grateful to Science and Math for the opportunities it has afforded him.
His grandmother, Lynnise Wells, said that Lett became fixated in middle school on attending Science and Math. He regularly checked the school's Web site to be sure of meeting the admissions requirements. "I think that's when I realized he was very unusually smart and motivated," said Wells, who can't recall meeting anyone else who is so goal-oriented and self-motivated.
"Lanair's a very hard worker," said Jeffery Tessem, a post-doctoral fellow at Duke who supervised the summer research that Lett turned into his award-winning Siemens Competition project. "I think that's one of his best qualities. He's extremely smart, I don't want to take away from his intelligence, but I think he shows a high level of dedication that you don't always see in people his age group."
Lett's research involved a gene called HDAC-1 and its relationship to insulin production. The topic grabbed Lett because a few years ago he was diagnosed with diabetes, a serious and widespread chronic illness linked to insulin shortages. The disease killed his maternal grandmother.
This summer, Lett hopes to conduct research at Duke or a lab in Maine. His plans are to study statistics and some form of biology at either Columbia or Stanford before attending medical school. His main career goal: making progress in the fight against diabetes.
Which shows that Lett has won something more important than scholarships and accolades from science competitions. Because of his experiences this year, "I actually believe that science can be something I can do as a career," he said. "I love it."
