Two IUSD middle school students named semifinalists in inaugural Broadcom competition

Congratulations to Hari Garg of Rancho San Joaquin Middle School and Rae Holcomb of South Lake Middle School. They're among 300 students -- including seven from Orange County -- selected to advance to the next round in a new science, technology and math competition sponsored by the Broadcom Foundation.

Hari, Rae and other semifinalists in the Broadcom MASTERS – the acronym stands for Math, Applied Science, Technology and Engineering for Rising Stars - were picked by a panel of scientists and engineers from a pool of 1,476 applicants in 45 states, along with Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. These middle schoolers and their teachers will receive prizes from Broadcom and Elmer's Products, and they’re in the running to become Broadcom MASTERS finalists. Set to be announced at the end of the month, the 30 finalists will win a trip to Washington in October to showcase their science fair projects and compete for a number of awards and prizes, including the top education award of $25,000 from the Samueli Foundation, established by Susan and Henry Samueli, a founder of Broadcom. The Orange County Register has the full story here.