First noted in the United States in 1980, the obesity epidemic has since increased twofold in recent decades. In the 21st century, obesity has become one of the leading health problems in the United States; over 34% of all adults age 20 years and over and 18% of all children age 6-11 years are obese (CDC Faststats, Obesity and Overweight). In fact, obesity is more prevalent in the United States than in other Westernized country. With obesity comes a vast array of health concerns including hypertension, glaucoma, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, certain cancers and heart disease. According to the National Institutes of Health, obesity is one of the leading cause of preventable death in the US, second only to tobacco usage; obesity-related conditions cause approximately 300,000 deaths a year . . . As a sophomore in high school, I did not know much about the obesity epidemic and I vaguely understood the concept of eating healthy and exercising regularly. When I first entered the basement of the Neurological Institute of New York, I did not plan on applying to the Intel Competition nor had I decided to obesity research. Rather, I joined the Columbia University Medical Center’s Program for Imaging and Cognitive Sciences (PICS) at the end of sophomore year because a strange fascination with the brain . . . I wanted to understand why individuals found food so mouthwateringly attractive, and how the brain normally controls food intake; using the resources provided at the fMRI lab, I hope to better understand and prevent obesity and save lives…

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