Kevin Thornton wants to devote his life to curing diseases.

A senior at Miller Grove High in Lithonia, he wants to learn as much as he can at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair this week in Atlanta.

He hopes to meet professors, scientists and Nobel laureates at the competition, and he wants to learn from other students, too.

About 1,500 students from the United States and nearly 50 countries are at the Georgia World Congress Center for the competition.

The group, which includes about 45 students from Georgia, will compete for more than $4 million in scholarships, tuition grants, scientific equipment and trips.

This is the first time Atlanta is hosting the world's most prestigious science competition, which ends Friday.

"This isn't just another science competition, this is the science competition," Thornton said. "The people here will one day cure diseases and solve the world's problems. Do you know how few people ever get to be a part of something like this?"

Bill Dodd, chairman of the state host committee, and a handful of others began working about five years ago to bring the competition here. The city was announced as the winner in 2005, beating out bids from Des Moines, Iowa, Charlotte and Salt Lake City, said Dodd, CEO of DirecPath, a telecommunications company.

About 40 volunteers have organized the event. The volunteers represent the University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, local businesses and area school districts.

They raised about $1 million from local corporations and foundations. They scoured the state and country to find about 1,200 judges, including those who specialize in chemistry, energy and transportation and cellular and molecular biology.

They recruited about 150 interpreters to speak 14 different languages, including Arabic, Chinese and Kazakh.

The judges and interpreters are donating their time and paying their own expenses, said Paul Ohme, co-director of the fair.

"We've tackled everything from getting name tags printed to figuring out how to get people to and from the airport to what kind of meals you will have at each function," Ohme said. "You think it won't all come together but some how it does."

The competition will promote Atlanta to the world's future researchers and engineers, Dodd said. He also hopes the event will encourage more Georgia students and schools to participate in science competitions.

"We want to raise awareness of the fact it can be cool to be into science when you're in school," Dodd said. "We want to get kids excited about science and engineering so they will pursue it as careers."

About 20 percent of the competitors either hold patents on their research, or have patents pending, said Rick Bates, director of external affairs for the Society for Science & the Public, the nonprofit organization that has administered the contest since its inception in 1950.

Some students designed wheelchairs that go up and down stairs. Others invented gloves to help blind people figure out where they're going. There's also high-level research on cancer, Alzheimer's and other diseases.

Priscila Llaverias and a couple of other students at Chamblee Charter High worked on an experiment to speed up tissue regeneration. The group's project built on work started by researchers at Georgia Tech.

"You feel you can save a life with the kind of research we're doing," Llaverias said.

Thornton, the student from Miller Grove, has attended summer science research programs at the Morehouse School of Medicine and Temple University School of Medicine. His project examined ways to help drug addicts fight their addiction. He started the work last summer through a program with the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Thornton said he wants to devote his life to curing diseases he says affect the black community, including Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis and cardiovascular disease.

"I want to change the world," he said. "Being here shows I'm on my way to fulfilling my dream."

HOW TO ATTEND

The public is invited to attend the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair on Thursday. For more information about the competition and volunteer opportunities, go to: www.intelisef2008.org.

SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS

About 1,200 judges are donating their time to critique science projects done by about 1,500 students from around the world. A judge must have a doctorate in the topic or at least six years of work experience in the category. Here are the catergoies represented this year:

Animal sciences

Behavioral and social sciences

Biochemistry

Cellular and molecular biology

Chemistry

Computer sciences

Earth science

Engineering: electrical and mechanical

Engineering: materials and bioengineering

Environmental management

Energy and transportation

Environmental sciences

Mathematics

Medicine and health

Microbiology

Physics and astronomy

Plant sciences

Source: Georgia Host Committee for the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair