A Layton High School student won a scholarship in a national science competition recently.

Matthew G. Peterson was awarded a $1,000 college scholarship as a regional semifinalist in the Young Epidemiology Scholars, (YES) competition sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and administered by the College Board.

Peterson was among 700 students from across the nation who entered the competition, which is designed to spur students' interest in epidemiology — the branch of medicine that deals with the study of the causes, distribution and control of disease among populations.

The YES competitors developed a research question and hypothesis about a health issue that concerns a group or groups of people. Then, they gathered and analyzed data related to their question, presented results that answer their question and suggested potential ways to improve the problem based on their analysis.

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Peterson's project was titled: "The affects of caffeine on the health and behavior of high school students."

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