Their project, The Decomposition/Construction of Complex Data Strings or Systems, was the fourth ranked Computer Science team project, and was among the top 30% of all team projects at the 2009 Intel ISEF, the world's largest international pre-college science competition, attended by more than 1,500 high school students from over 50 countries.

Brown and Beach were among five area students who were chosen to attend the Intel ISEF for their superior standing at the Marion Area Science and Engineering Fair, held March 21, 2009 at The Ohio State University at Marion’s Alber Student Center.  Individual finalists from the Marion Area Science and Engineering Fair who also competed in Reno included Miriam Gibbs, Rutherford B. Hayes High School; Alec Stansbery, Upper Sandusky High School; and Alexander Bogard, Rutherford B. Hayes High School, who served as an alternate.

The Society for Science & the Public, in partnership with the Intel Foundation, presented the awards May 15, 2009.   Student winners are at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair are ninth through twelfth graders who earned the right to compete by winning a top prize at a local, regional, state or national science fairs. The highlight of the week, the Intel ISEF Grand Awards are valued at nearly $1 million in scholarships, tuition grants and scientific field trips.

The International Science and Engineering Fair is sponsored by Intel and has been administered by Society for Science & the Public (SSP) since its inception in 1950. SSP is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the public engagement in scientific research and education. SSP’s vision is to promote the understanding and appreciation of science and the vital role it plays in human advancement: to inform, educate, inspire.  More information can be found at www.societyforscience.org.