Our pal Angry Asian Man notes that among the First Lady's special guests at tonights SOTU will be Li Boynton, a Houston, TX based teen who's one of 300 semifinalists for the Intel Science Talent Search (man, I remember when that was called the Westinghouse!). Her entry "The Use of Bioluminescent Bacteria to Detect Environmental Contaminants," shows how living organisms that give off light can be used as sensors to detect contaminants in water; as AAM notes, Boynton actually developed a sensor made from bioluminescent bacteria, which the White House says represents:

"...inspiring evidence that she is among the Nation's next generation of leaders....Her work developing a novel method of detecting contaminants in water—a problem that haunts one billion people around the world today—reflected a great confluence of scientific insight and caring for others. We hope other students will look at what she has done and will be inspired to immerse themselves in science, engineering and math and do their part for the nation and the world."

WE BOW IN YOUR GENERAL DIRECTION, LI. And envy your proximity to all-too-awesome Lady Number One.