Prologue
"Could you summarize your project in 60 seconds or less?"
I looked at the judge, who was formally dressed in a green Army uniform, resplendent with many medals and honors. His eyes met mine, and he nodded slowly yet solemnly, as if granting permission that I begin.
I embarked on an explanation, getting to the gist of what I done in my project, Greedy Random: A Novel Algorithm for Vehicle Routing Optimization, and finishing my summary with a smile. The judge then looked over my project board a moment, scribbled something a pad of paper that appeared in his hand, nodded again with a smile and was off.
My brow furrowed. Here I was, at the 51st Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in San Jose, California. Just a few days before, I had set up my project board (shipped the 2,000 miles from home in Michigan via the sturdy services of UPS) and had posed for a glad photo, ready to tell others about the work I had so enjoyed doing. But as yet, no one had asked for merely a minute's tale sure, a 5-minute summary but 60 seconds? It had forced me to focus on what was essential, and to speak clearly, carefully and quickly. Ah, but therein lay the fun! The challenge, the experience of distilling knowledge and quickly sharing it! My pondering expression melted away into an immense smile. This was fun! And since it was fun, I found myself enjoying it.
An hour or two later, as the judging session wound its way forward with other judges dropping by, a pair of green-uniformed judges appeared. They introduced themselves and asked the same question the initial judge had. "Could you summarize your project in 60 seconds or less?" Glad at the opportunity, I began do to so. As I was reaching my conclusions, around the 45-second mark or so, I noticed another judge wander up. And then, in the midst of answering a question posed by one of the original two, yet another green uniformed judge walked up, nodded slightly, and listened.
Within the next fifteen minutes, I had over 20 green uniforms at my booth, with each judge very politely listening and asking pertinent questions about my project. I explained away, filled with joy.
After the judging session wound down, as I gathered up my things to leave the exhibit hall, the student in the booth next to me smiled and said, "You know what this means, of course. You'll probably win some award from the Army! You had almost every judge they have!"
I looked at him, silently thanking him for his kind words, before saying, "I don't know. We'll see. After all, que sera, sera!" He laughed, and I walked off and out of the exhibit hall.
Alas, for I cannot say it was a dramatic moment that brought me to the good news that I had won a prize from the Army. Yes, verily, there were bright lights, but no, there was no dramatic ascent up to the stage, feet making stairs disappear. Rather, it was more of a hectic moment, the sort that reaches out and taps one on the back when one isn't expecting it
As I chatted with some friends in the backstage photo line for an award I had won a few minutes before, a kind lady tapped me on the back. "Are you Dominik Rabiej?" she asked, checking a clipboard that she held in her other hand.
I nodded in assent. "Come with me," she said, "you need to get back on stage." With that she turned and began walking back to the stairs leading to just offstage. Shrugging my shoulders in confusion, I waved to my friends and followed her.
Peeking around the curtain, I could see a line of green uniforms on stage along with other student winners, all of who held onto plaques or ribbons of some sort. Then, a whisper, "Go on now" and I was on stage, walking towards another green uniformed judge who had his hand outstretched. I shook it, accepting congratulations and then also took a plaque that was presented to me. Then, I took my spot in line, squinting out into the audience against the bright lights but no, I could not see much. Then someone announced: "The 2001 US Army ISEF Winners" and we were marched off stage. My cameo on stage had scarcely even been sixty seconds and I still didn't know what I had won.
Backstage in the photo line again, I finally looked at the plaque that I had in my hands. All it informed me was that I had won an award from the Army that much I had gathered already but as to the nature of which award it made no mention. Puzzled yet glad hey, I had won an award! Yay! I waited patiently in line for the photographer to call my name. The poor fellow, standing behind his camera, was snapping photos as fast as he could though he evidently loved his work, for he had a large grin on his face as he did so.
"Operation Cherry Blossom/Japan Trip Winners, Debra Hsiung and Dominik Rabiej." called the photographer. Oh. The Japan trip. Oh. I stepped forward and looked around. No other students were about.
The photographer snapped some pictures, and my mom came backstage and snapped some more of me with the green uniformed Army judges and officers. I thanked them for selecting me as a winner of the Japan trip award the biggest award the Army gives out at ISEF. Then I walked back to my seat in the auditorium, amazed but immensely glad.
The next day dawned: May 11, 2001. The sun rode the sky quickly and soon it was evening and Project Teardown, the end of ISEF, was underway. At the Government awards ceremony the other day we had received lists of all the winners, along with their respective project booth numbers. And so it was that I found BIO65 and there met a girl in the midst of taking down her project. Ms. Debra Hsiung.
We talked a while, snapped a photo or two, exchanged e-mails and vowed to keep in touch before we went off together to the other side of the world. And so, as time wore on, we spoke to each other online from time to time with both of us looking forward to January 2002.
As my parents and I flew back home from San Jose and ISEF, I took a photo through the airplane window of the mountains below. I was soaring far over those very mountains, soaring above the very clouds, reaching up and touching the edge of the sky. My high school days were coming to an end, and soon college (decided merely two weeks before to be MIT) would begin. And then, I thought, in but a short while in this time on earth we call life, I would be soaring across an ocean to Japan.
Eight Months Later...