Could these students provide the science breakthroughs of the future?

By Nell Lewis, for CNN

Updated 1126 GMT (1926 HKT) January 25, 2018

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The Science Talent Search is not your average science fair. Conducted by the Society for Science and the Public since 1942, its US-wide search for the brightest students has seen 13 future Nobel Laureates pass through the competition. Scroll through the gallery to discover more about them.
Photos: Science Talent Search: Nobel-winning alumni
The Science Talent Search is not your average science fair. Conducted by the Society for Science and the Public since 1942, its US-wide search for the brightest students has seen 13 future Nobel Laureates pass through the competition. Scroll through the gallery to discover more about them.
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Winner of the <a href="https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1972/cooper-bio.html" target="_blank">Nobel Prize in Physics</a> in 1972, Leon Cooper took part in the Science Talent Search in 1947 and was a finalist for his project on penicillin-resistant bacteria. He received the highest award in physics for jointly developing the theory of superconductivity, when some metals, when cooled, exhibit zero electrical resistance.
Photos: Science Talent Search: Nobel-winning alumni
Leon Cooper – Winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1972, Leon Cooper took part in the Science Talent Search in 1947 and was a finalist for his project on penicillin-resistant bacteria. He received the highest award in physics for jointly developing the theory of superconductivity, when some metals, when cooled, exhibit zero electrical resistance.
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Competing in the 1946 iteration of the competition, Edelman shared the 1972 <a href="https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1972/edelman-facts.html" target="_blank">Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine</a> with Rodney Porter. Both had independently researched the chemical make-up of antibodies, establishing their Y-shaped structure (pictured).
Photos: Science Talent Search: Nobel-winning alumni
Gerald Edelman – Competing in the 1946 iteration of the competition, Edelman shared the 1972 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Rodney Porter. Both had independently researched the chemical make-up of antibodies, establishing their Y-shaped structure (pictured).
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Mottelson's relationship with the Science Talent Search dates back further than any other Nobel-winning alumni, becoming a finalist in 1944. Born in Illinois, he received the <a href="https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1975/mottelson-facts.html" target="_blank">Nobel Prize in Physics</a> in 1975 for developing "the theory of the structure of the atomic nucleus," based on the connection between collective and particle motion of atomic nuclei.
Photos: Science Talent Search: Nobel-winning alumni
Ben Mottelson – Mottelson's relationship with the Science Talent Search dates back further than any other Nobel-winning alumni, becoming a finalist in 1944. Born in Illinois, he received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1975 for developing "the theory of the structure of the atomic nucleus," based on the connection between collective and particle motion of atomic nuclei.
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