“I am very excited that I was selected as a finalist,” John stated. “It certainly is a great honor and I was quite shocked when I received the phone call letting me know that I was a finalist! However, for me and, I am positive, for the rest of the applicants, our primary concern is not the contest. Instead, what motivates us is the science we are doing. While it is nice to be recognized, I thoroughly enjoy doing my research, and the drive to discover is a direct result from the awesome, and often times, surprising things I learn!”
A member of Catholic Central’s innovative Science Research Seminar, John computed detailed statistics on the clustering of galaxies. His study anticipates a time when cosmologists will use 21 cm electromagnetic waves, emitted by hydrogen when the universe was young (less than a billion years old), to learn more about the structure and evolution of the early universe. John conducted a cluster analysis of objects observed in a very large-array sky survey that will be useful in removing extragalactic foreground “noise” that would otherwise obscure the signal. His clustering analysis is the first such study conducted in a frequency relevant to the detection of the 21cm signal, and his findings are reported in a paper he co-authored, “Clustering at 74MHz,” which has been submitted to Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. John hopes to continue his studies at MIT or Princeton.
Finalists will gather in Washington, D.C. from March 11-16 to compete for $630,000 in awards. The top winner will receive $100,000 from the Intel Foundation. “This year’s finalists are truly inspiring and they reaffirm our belief that programs like the Intel Science Talent Search foster a passion for math and science, subjects that are the foundation of the innovation that is the key to America’s future success,” said Shelly Esque, V.P. of Intel’s Corporate Affairs Group.
Steve Passinault, Principal of Catholic Central High School, stated “John Capodilupo is a wonderful example of a student who has taken the God-given intellectual gifts that he has been blessed with, and has developed them to their fullest. His work and achievement in the science research program has helped put Catholic Central on the map nationally and is helping CC students get recognized at some very prestigious universities across the country including the Ivy League schools. It is a tribute to Andy Moore who started the program and to Leigh Eriks who is continuing to help students achieve great things within the program.”
Society for Science & the Public (SSP), a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to public engagement in scientific research and education, has owned and administered the Science Talent Search since its inception in 1942. This year marks Intel’s 12th year sponsoring the program.
“Through their independent research that tackles some of the most challenging scientific
issues of our time, these 40 finalists are preparing themselves to be the leaders of tomorrow,”
said Elizabeth Marincola, president of SSP. “We congratulate these young innovators on their
extraordinary achievements and welcome them into the prestigious fold of the Science Talent
Search, now in its 69th year.”
Catholic Central High School, established in 1906, has an enrollment of 782 students and is located at 319 Sheldon SE, in Grand Rapids.
