Maxwell Hutchinson didn't attend his high school graduation last spring, nor did he see the inside of his high school during his senior year. But he wasn't a delinquent. While the rest of the students in his class were focusing on their SATs and applying to colleges, Hutchinson was already majoring in physics as an early-admission student at Carnegie Mellon.
His studiousness during his years in high school included research of solenoids, which are wires arranged in coils. The coils create magnetic fields that can be used as electromagnets in things like motors and generators. He continued his solenoid research at Carnegie Mellon and showcased his work at the Pittsburgh Regional Science and Engineering Fair. Some representatives from the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center were impressed and convinced him to enter an abstract of his research to the National Science Foundation's TeraGrid '08 student research competition. Hutchinson competed with undergraduates throughout the United States.
The TeraGrid judges selected his abstract as a finalist and invited him to present his research at the annual conference in Las Vegas, Nev., last spring. He accepted, even though it meant missing his high school graduation. At just 17 years old, Hutchinson took second place in undergraduate research.
He continues to explore solenoids at Carnegie Mellon and as a student programmer at the supercomputing center. His plan is to pursue his PhD, though he isn't sure in what field. As for not tossing his cap in the air with his high school classmates, he says he has no regrets.
—KELLY DELANEY (HS'09)
