Noa Levanon

Noa Levanon worked with Elisa Maldonado and teacher Myrtle Brijbasiat at the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward, Alaska to study the physiology and behavior of river otters that have been exposed to crude oil. This study simulates what free-living otters may have experienced since the 1989 Exxon Valdez Oil Spill in Prince William Sound, Alaska.

Noa was especially interested in the opportunity to conduct research on mammals in Alaska because of the stark contrast to the genetic studies she has been performing on fruit flies with researchers at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. Noa grew up in Bloomington and graduated valedictorian of the class of 1998 from Bloomington High School North. For the last two years she has explored many aspects of molecular biology in three different laboratories at Indiana University. She developed a study on site specific cre-dependent recombinant genetics in the fruit fly that took her to 3rd place in the regional and state science fairs and won the Crane Naval Base science fair. Her aptitude for intellectual competition led Noa to co-captain the Academic Superbowl Team and be an active member of the Science Olympiad. She spoke at the Indiana Junior Academy of Science and was a finalist for the outstanding scientist award. An accomplished violinist, Noa played in the Hoosier Youth Philharmonic orchestra, the all state orchestra and school orchestra, for which she was also the concert mistress and treasurer. Noa served on her school student government, and performed the duties of secretary for both her school's chapter of the National Honor Society and the Bloomington Organization of Synagogue Youth. Noa also enjoys reading, speaking French and Hebrew, and was on the varsity cross-country and track team. She is looking forward to continuing her science education at Princeton University in New Jersey this fall in pursuit of a M.D./Ph.D. in genetics or oncology.