Plant Project Grows Into Array Of Honors

Three years ago, Grace Williams’ science teacher was grousing about how poorly Indian paintbrush grew in his back yard.

Williams, then a sophomore at West Valley High School, seized the idea: Could she domesticate the vivid red-bloomed wildflower?

Today, Williams is flying to Washington, D.C., one of 40 finalists in the Westinghouse Annual Talent Search. Her three years of research on Indian paintbrush will undergo scrutiny by a judging panel which includes a Nobel Prize winner and an astrophysicist from Princeton University. Winners will divvy up $205,000 in Westinghouse scholarships.

But if scholarships are the payoff, the winning has already started. Colleges and universities began recruiting Williams once she became a Westinghouse semifinalist. Westinghouse sends out its list of 300 semifinalists to top schools across the country.

Williams, 18, recently received a packet from New York University.

“Sometimes I don’t open (packets) anymore, because I’ve gotten so many from colleges,” Williams said.

Inside this one was a four-year, full-ride scholarship offer, worth about $126,000 - plus a $5,000-a-year stipend for doing undergraduate research.

Duke University is also recruiting Williams, flying her to the campus in April. She is among 45 finalists for 15 scholarships that include full tuition, a year’s study abroad and a summer at Oxford University.

The West Valley senior, a straight-A student, presents university admissions offices with an impressive list of honors and activities. They include an invitation to apply for a summer science institute in Israel, teaching ballet at the YWCA school for homeless children, and serving as president of her school’s National Honor Society.

One of the toughest aspects of her research was finding time to get everything done.

Asked what she does for fun, Williams gave a little sigh. “Sleep,” she said with a smile.

West Valley science teacher Bob Bohlen credits his protege with the ability to think in the abstract, move from bits of information to a global perspective and - unlike the stereotype of many scientists - being able to communicate her findings well.

Williams’ research has involved as much work as earning a master’s degree, Bohlen said.

Bohlen has taught a science research class for 15 years and has had several students in national competitions. But this is the first time one of his students has reached the Westinghouse finals.

“This has been a real eye-opener for me,” he said.

Through her research, Williams learned that Indian paintbrush are parasites, of a sort. The wildflower must grow with a host plant and it uses a fungus to absorb nutrients. It grows best in unfertilized soil with little water.

Has she succeeded in domesticating Indian paintbrush?

“No, not yet,” she admits. But she is three years closer.

During her week in Washington, D.C., Williams intends to visit the National Arboretum. “They have a bonzai collection that I want to see,” she said. She’s astounded, she said, by the patience involved in tending the tiny, 300-year-old plants.

Wherever Williams goes to college, she will continue to study botany.

“It’s really relaxing to work with plants instead of people,” she said.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo