Northeast resident to compete
in International Science Fair

By Diane Villano-Prokop
Times Staff Writer

Central High senior Annie Ashok is heading to New Mexico next month for the 58th International Science and Engineering Fair.
Her silver award winning project at the Delaware Valley Science Fair, held earlier this month at the Valley Forge Convention Center, earned her $75 and a spot in the top-level competition, as well as a $150 AstraZeneca Award. More than 800 students from Southeastern Pennsylvania, South New Jersey and Delaware competed for more than $1 million in prizes.
Annie’s project involves the effects of gene variation in protein degradation. The title was cdc 55-dependent PP2A affects the stability of CLn2 degradation.
"I studied the function of two different enzymes," Annie said in her Oxford Circle living room, where a large project board showed the different stages of her experiment.
The enzymes regulate the protein ubiquitin, which is involved in degradation. Its main function is to mark other proteins for destruction.
The same enzyme is present in breast, ovarian and prostate cancer, the 17-year-old explained. Annie’s hope is that if somehow the process can be reversed, a drug might be able to be developed to better regulate the protein.
She travels to the biochemistry labs at Hahnemann University Hospital three times a week to work on her project.
"I really love working there. It’s fun to learn things on your own. It’s just a hassle as far as transportation," Annie said.
The teen in Central’s mentally gifted program still has more work to do on the project before she goes on to Albuquerque.
"I’ll extract protein from the yeast strain and tag it to luminesce — light up as a band," she said, with the hope that it will show an interaction.
The young scientist will study biology this fall at Penn. Though not sure what her career will be, she has no doubt her research and presentation experience will serve her well.
Annie pointed toward the scientist and graduate student that she works with at Hahnemann as mentors, as well as her sponsor, Central High teacher Dennis Erlick.
"I wouldn’t even know about research without him," she said.
Annie also noted the influence and support of her parents in her success and taking her to the different science fairs. Her mother is a nurse; her father a doctor.
Her parents offered modest praise:
"She’s a very hard-working person. She’s a perfectionist," said her mother Amoodha Ashok.
Dr. John Ashok, Annie’s father, agreed.
"Her work speaks for her," he said.
Annie knows the competition will be tough but is looking forward to the challenge of the Albuquerque fair, which be held May 13 to 18.
"Hopefully, I’ll go and be calm and do my best," she said.
The teen also hopes to play tourist while she's there and maybe take in a hot air balloon ride. She'd also like to visit a turquoise museum and Acoma Pueblo, which is thought to be the oldest continuously inhabited village in the United States, as far back as 1150 A.D. ••
Reporter Diane Villano-Prokop can be reached at 215-354-3036 or dvillano@phillynews.com