Incoming UAB Freshman Wins Big With Kudzu at Intel International Science, Engineering Fair

Incoming University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) freshman Mason McFarland, 18, of Pleasant Grove was among 19 students who received “Best of Category” awards and $8,000 cash prizes at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair.

May 28, 2010

Mason McFarland Download

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Incoming University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) freshman Mason McFarland, 18, of Pleasant Grove was among 19 students who received "Best of Category" awards and $8,000 cash prizes at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair.

McFarland captured the top prize in the plant sciences division for his project The Potential Allelopathic Suppression of Kudzu, which demonstrated how kudzu germination and growth can be suppressed by components of sweet potatoes. McFarland, who also was the only first-place winner from Alabama, conducted the project over several years in collaboration with Canadian scientists.

More than 1,600 students in grades 9-12 from nearly 60 countries, territories and regions gathered in San Jose, Calif., May 9-14 to compete in the international fair, which is the world's largest pre-college science fair competition. The science fair is a program of the nonprofit organization Society for Science & the Public.

McFarland qualified to compete in the event after becoming one of the top four overall winners at the 2010 Central Alabama Regional Science and Engineering Fair on March 6 at UAB. The event was sponsored by the UAB Center for Community OutReach Development (CORD). UAB CORD is a universitywide center dedicated to advancing the outreach efforts of UAB in the Birmingham community by developing academic programs in partnership with area city schools.

McFarland, the son of Jerald and Cathy McFarland of Pleasant Grove, recently graduated from the Jefferson County International Baccalaureate School. He will enroll in the UAB Science and Technology Honors Program in the fall.

About the UAB Science and Technology Honors Program

The UAB Science and Technology Honors Program is the only one of its kind in Alabama. The program is for students with academic and extracurricular achievements that demonstrate intellectual curiosity, energy, creativity, leadership abilities, and community commitment. Through interdisciplinary coursework and hands-on research, students learn to approach research questions by integrating knowledge from multiple fields of study. The UAB Science and Technology Honors Program is designed to prepare students for graduate and doctoral study.

About the UAB College of Arts and Sciences

The UAB Center for Community OutReach Development (CORD) is housed in the UAB College of Arts and Sciences, home to academic disciplines that include the arts, humanities, sciences and the School of Education. The college's unique structure advances research and learning in both K-12 and higher education, and its courses are taught by a world-class faculty. Committed to the UAB spirit of independence and innovation, the college enables students to design their own majors, participate in undergraduate research or complete graduate degrees on a five-year fast track. Through productive partnerships, flexible curricula and a bold, interdisciplinary approach to learning and teaching, the college is preparing students for success in the ever-changing global marketplace of commerce and ideas.