SMITHTOWN STUDENT NAMED SEMI-FINALIST IN INTEL SCIENCE TALENT SEARCH

Left to right: SHS East Research Program Coordinator Maria Zeitlin Trinkle, Rachel Davis and SHS East Principal Edwin Thompson. 

The Science Research Program at Smithtown High School East is proud to announce that Rachel Davis has been selected as an Intel Semi-Finalist. According to the Society for Science and the Public, “The Intel Science Talent Search (Intel STS) is America’s most prestigious national science research competition for high school seniors.” From 1839 applicants, 300 were selected as semi-finalists which will be further narrowed to 40 finalists on January 25.  

Rachel’s project titled “Engineering Biodegradable Flame Retardant Polymers,” was mentored by Dr. Miriam Rafailovich at Stony Brook University.  Rachel’s inspiration for her project began in 2007 when her family’s house burned down.  It was then that her father, and then later Rachel, joined the volunteer fire department in their town.  Additionally, Rachel has recently completed her training to become a nationally certified firefighter.  According to Ms. Zeitlin Trinkle, Coordinator of Smithtown East’s Research Program, “Rachel’s passion for firefighting made her a natural for a project involving flame retardant polymers.  She has such enthusiasm for her research and she exudes excitement every time she enters the lab.  She is a genuine scientist, the real deal. She loves exploring material science and creating polymers and gets positively giddy when she is asked to discuss her research.”

It is Rachel’s ambition to continue working on her research in order to create the ideal polymer blend which would serve as both a biodegradable and flame retardant plastic in order to be utilized for multiple applications. According to Rachel, “There has been increased pressure on manufacturers of plastics to produce materials that are not harmful to the environment and its inhabitants.  These plastics must be biodegradable and not release harmful toxins into the environment.  It is also important that these materials are flame retardant as fire safety regulations increase on the industrial and domestic fronts.  Therefore, flame retardant additives must be added to biodegradable polymers to create the perfect plastic.” In the lab, she worked with a resorcinol bis-diphenyl-phosphate (RDP) soaked cellulose in a polylactic acid (PLA) -polybutylene adipate coterephthalate (PBAT) blend.

PHOTO CAPTION: Left to right: SHS East Research Program Coordinator Maria Zeitlin Trinkle, Rachel Davis and SHS East Principal Edwin Thompson.