Three American Vietnamese students were presented with six special awards at the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) 2012 held in the US.

Kevin Anh Nguyen (third from right) took second prize from the Scientific Research Society

The awarding ceremony was organised in the morning of May 18.

Vu Mai Anh was the most outstanding student at the fair winning three special awards, including second prize worth USD2,000 given by the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the second prize of USD1,500 by the United States Army and a USD2,500 scholarship from Duquesne University.

Last year, she and her cousin Nguyen Quoc Bao received two prizes in the Special Awards category, including the first prize worth USD3,000 given by the United States Army and the fourth prize, USD1,000, presented by the American Chemical Society.

Kevin Anh Nguyen, another Vietnamese-American, from Texas won the first prize worth USD4,000 presented by the the American Chemical Society. He was awarded for his research on a new type of thread that fosters post surgery patient recovery.

He was also presented with the second prize worth USD1,500 by Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society for the research.

Vanna Nga Hovanky, an American Vietnamese also from Texas won second prize worth USD1,000 provided by the the American Pharmacists Association for her research on a new method of cancer treatment.

Three Vietnamese students from Hanoi - Amsterdam High School for the Gifted won no special awards at the fair.