The trio’s win was no small feat, as there was a record turnout this year. More than 2,100 students registered and there were more than 3,100 project submissions, a 14 percent increase from 2008.
   The Queens trio are being led by Bonnie Blackwell, director of the Robert F. Kennedy Science Research Institute at Williams College in Massachusetts. The institute takes on six students per year, mainly from Queens, and works to give them a real experience of science. Ahmed, Zhou and Chen applied, were accepted, put together and assigned a project.
   Blackwell pointed to the team’s great working relationship.
   “I’m just out of this world proud and thrilled,” Blackwell said.
   Zhou is a resident of Flushing and a junior at Francis Lewis High School in Fresh Meadows. She would like to study environmental engineering or astronomy in college. Her interests include ballroom dancing and white water rafting.
   Ahmed is also a junior at Francis Lewis. He was born in Bangladesh and lives in Woodhaven. He said that Zhou and Chen are “great partners.” One of his dream colleges is Carnegie Mellon, since it allows freshmen to sign up for research. His hobbies include learning languages and a form of dance called Pop and Locking.
   Chen lives in Bayside and is a junior at Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan. Blackwell described Chen as a “quiet, calming influence” on her “go-getter” teammates. Chen enjoys art and fashion design and anime. She is “really happy” that her team has come so far and that their archaeological project was chosen.
   The next step for the trio is to compete on a national level from Dec. 3 to 7 for a grand prize of $100,000 at New York University.