Jack Voelker, a senior from Manhasset High School, was recently recognized as a 2024 scholar in the prestigious Regeneron Science Talent Search, a program of Society for Science.
He is among 300 students to be honored in the science and math competition for his outstanding research project. This year’s scholars hail from 196 American and international high schools and homeschools in 36 states and China.
Voelker competed in the Animal Science category of the competition and was selected for his project “The Effect of Anthropogenic Sound on the Reproductive Success of Tigriopus californicus.”
For his research project, he exposed Tigriopus californicus, a type of copepod species, to manmade noise (specifically shipping noise) and measured their various reproductive responses that resulted from the sound. Voelker conducted his project at home during the summer over the course of about six weeks.
His application was among 2,162 submitted into the competition this year from 712 high schools across 46 states, Guam, Puerto Rico and ten other countries.
According to Society for Science, scholars are selected based on their “outstanding research, leadership skills, community involvement, commitment to academics, creativity in asking scientific questions and exceptional promise as STEM leaders demonstrated through the submission of their original, independent research projects, essays and recommendations.”
Voelker will continue in the competition with the hopes of being named one of the 40 student finalists who will participate in final judging. Finalists are expected to be announced on Jan. 24. These finalists will then continue to compete for more than $1.8 million in awards during a week-long competition in Washington, D.C. in March.
The Manhasset Public Schools congratulates Voelker on this outstanding achievement and wishes him the best of luck as he continues in the competition.
