Kennedy students earn Intel badges

Five Kennedy High School seniors were recently selected for special recognition in the annual Intel Science Talent Search, which honors the top research projects across the country. The five students received badges to reward the extra effort that they put into their research projects.

The students are Rachel Abramowitz, Kristiana Hanna, Rebecca Jellinek, Ben November and Dean Ostrofsky.

Intel offers a number of badges, including: the Initiative badge, given to students who have shown independence in their research; the Research Report badge, awarded to students who have demonstrated extraordinary diligence in conducting their research; and the Semifinalist badge, given to students who have achieved semifinalist status in the competition.

Hanna earned the Initiative badge. Ostrofsky received the Research Report Badge. Abramowitz and November were awarded Research Report and Semifinalist badges. And Jellinek received all three badges.

Below are profiles of each of the students, with descriptions of their research.

Dean Ostrofsky
For his senior research thesis, Ostrofsky studied snakes –– specifically, the garter, Puerto Rican racer, and Eastern and Western hognose snakes. Ostrofsky wanted to see to what degree the snakes’ venom-delivery systems were adapted to their local environments.