Awards Given for Cruelty-Free Science Projects

by Amanda Katz

The National Anti-Vivisection Society (NAVS) recently presented awards to three high school students who competed at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (IISEF) held in Cleveland, OH in May to honor them for submitting projects that did not involve animal suffering.

The winners of the Humane Science Awards, Samantha Feingold, Anna-Katrina Shedletsky and Nicholas Semenkovich, also received cash prizes of $5,000, $2,000 and $1,000, respectively.

A NAVS spokesperson said that the organization was "very appreciative for the opportunity to reward students who are looking at new technology to accomplish their scientific goals instead of accepting the outdated and ineffective animal model for medical research."

The IISEF is the only science fair regularly held in the United States at which high school students are still permitted to conduct invasive procedures on and even kill animals in order to carry out experiments.

"The NAVS has worked for many years to persuade Science Service, the administrator of the fair, to change the rules that permit harm to animals," the spokesperson said. "Animals can no longer be deprived of food and water for unreasonable lengths of time...and the administration of alcohol has been banned."

The NAVS first handed out Humane Science Awards at the IISEF held last year in Louisville, KY.

© 2003 Animal News Center, Inc.