U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- A senior at Cheyenne Mountain High School who conducted research at the Air Force Academy on the use of algae as biofuel won a $100,000 award in the Intel Science Talent Search, Intel Corporation announced March 13.

Sara Volz, 17, was selected from more than 1,700 students around the nation.

Volz is the youngest person to have worked in the Academy's Life Sciences Research Center, having started in December 2011 at 15 years old. She conducted her research through a cooperative research and development agreement with the Academy.

"(Her research) is a benefit to the Air Force because she's doing Air Force-related work," said Dr. Donald Veverka, the Life Sciences Research Center director. "The other part of this is the science, technology, engineering and mathematics aspect. It's a great opportunity for us to give young people exposure (to) science and, more specifically, research."

Volz said her passion stems from her general love of science.

"I'm really interested in algae specifically, because it merges my two favorite fields, which are biochemistry and microbiology," she said. "I also like the idea that it can help with global pollution and energy usage today."

The Intel Science Talent Search is a program of the Society for Science and the Public. Other finalists from across the U.S. won awards totaling more than $500,000, according to an Intel Corporation news release.