Baruch student takes third in CUNY Science Challenge

When Neaz Noor entered his essay on fiber optics into 2009's CUNY Nobel Science Challenge, he did not think he would be chosen.

"I didn't expect to win because I did it last minute," said Noor, a biology major at Baruch College. "Even though I thought [my essay] was pretty good, one of my biggest problems was figuring out my target audience."

Instead, CUNY awarded third place to Noor for his essay on physicist Charles K. Kao's contributions to optical communication. A committee of three CUNY physics professors from numerous colleges judged Noor's essay on its accuracy, clarity and accessibility on the general public.

Considered to be the father of modern fiber optic communication networks, Kao discovered how to transmit light signals through fused silica glass fibers. Currently, fiber optic lines carry voice, video and Internet data across the globe. According to the Nobel Prize Committee that awarded Kao the Nobel in physics, these fiber optic lines put together could span Earth more than 25,000 times.

"I chose to write my essay in physics because my computer ethics course was talking about the Internet," said Noor. "That got me thinking and I wanted to explore the technology behind it."

Vital in long-distance communications, fiber optic lines sidestep transmission issues found in electrical cables. In electrical cables, signals diminish over distance and are prone to electromagnetic interference. However, with light, fiber optics can carry more signals farther and faster than it is possible on electrical cables.

Noor will be receiving an Amazon Kindle for his essay. However, for Noor, the prize wasn't the only reason for his entry. "Obviously, the prize was an incentive for me, but I figured that [fiber optics] was something I knew about and could write about."

Noor wrote the winning essay with college-educated individuals in mind.

The CUNY Nobel Science Challenge accepts essay entries about Nobel Prizes from every CUNY school. Noor is not the only Baruch College student to win the challenge this year. Patrick Pompili won second place for his essay on the Nobel Prize in Economics.

For Noor, all Baruch students should work on their written communication skills. "Everybody, including science majors, should have the ability to communicate both verbally and in words."