Cate White, daughter of Catherine and Milton White of Elbridge, is this year's honoree at Jordan Elbridge High School of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Rensselaer Medal.

The Rensselaer Medal, the oldest prize of its kind in the United States, is awarded by more than 3,700 secondary schools throughout North American. This award is given to students who have distinguished themselves in mathematics and science. To be honored with the Rensselaer Medal, a student must be a member of the junior class and the high school's single most promising science and mathematics student.

Each medalist, who is accepted and subsequently enrolls at Rensselaer, receives a scholarship of $60,000 payable in four yearly awards of $15,000 each.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, founded in 1824, is the nation's oldest technological university. The university offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in engineering, the sciences, information technology, architecture, management and the humanities and social sciences.

Rensselaer faculty are known for pre-eminence in research conducted in a wide range of fields, with particular emphasis in biotechnology, nanotechnology, information technology and the media arts and technology.