58th Annual STS (1998–1999)
Finalists
Wei-Li Deng

Wei-Li Deng, 18, of Bethesda, entered a geology project in the Intel Science Talent Search. She used Crystal Size Distribution Theory (CSD), a rarely used chemical engineering tool, to estimate crystallization rates in thin sections of granitic dikes—flat, igneous bodies formed by molten rock, called magma, as it flows into rock channels and crystallizes. Wei-Li did her work at the University of Maryland using a polarized-light microscope to study quartz crystal samples from Lembert Dome in California's Yosemite National Park. Wei-Li believes her work demonstrates CSD's potential application to the study of rocks with complex textures associated with many ore deposits. Born in China, Wei-Li is fluent in Cantonese and Mandarin. At Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Springs, she plays violin in the orchestra, works on school publications and participates in Chinese cultural and theater activities and the Photography Club. Her activities include playing first violin with the Montgomery County Youth Orchestra. She plans to study physics, geology and the classics at Carleton College in Minnesota. Wei-Li is the daughter of Leland and Anna Deng.

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