Paul Park, a Massapequa High School senior, has qualified as a semi-finalist in the highly competitive Science Talent Search (STS) sponsored by Intel.

This nationwide competition is America's oldest and most highly regarded pre-college science competition. Eligible students include high school seniors in the United States and American students attending school abroad.

Each year, over 1,500 students accept the challenge of completing an entry for the Intel Science Talent Search, with finalists competing for the top prize, a $100,000 scholarship.

For his project, Paul researched the "Phenomenon of Landslides," and created a model that analyzes slope stability to find land areas that are under extreme pressure, and would benefit from the construction of supportive retaining walls in small sections for cost effectiveness.

"I wanted to research a topic that was practical and had a clear purpose," Paul stated. With help from his science teacher and mentor, Mr. Mark Ballerini, Paul's idea came to fruition, and after many dedicated hours of research, his model attained semifinalist status from Intel.

In addition to devoting countless hours to the Intel competition, Paul has taken Applied Linear Algebra for college credit at Stony Brook University, is a member of Massapequa High School's Research Club and Mathletes Team, and is an accomplished cellist in the high school Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra.

Paul was born and raised in Massapequa, and lives with his parents and sister who is an English major at Dartmouth College. He has applied to many colleges, including Harvard, Yale, and Princeton, and is interested in biology and research as topics of study. The Massapequa Public Schools wish Paul the best of luck and congratulate him on his outstanding accomplishment.