64th Annual STS (2004-2005)
Finalists
Karen Lynn Geringer

NEW YORK
Karen Lynn Geringer, 16, of Massapequa, collected and analyzed over 15,000 individual responses from 16 different national surveys in order to study relationships in public opinion towards terrorism and its prevention after the attacks of September 11th for her Intel Science Talent Search project in behavioral and social sciences. Using the nonparametric statistical test known as Spearman's rho, Karen was able to determine that attitudes towards national security reform and civil liberties restrictions correlate with the subjects' ethnicity, proximity to urban areas and political party affiliation. These associations also contribute to an individual's acceptance of issues such as racial profiling, FBI investigations, and worldwide terrorism prevention. Karen is first in her class of 245 at Plainedge High School in North Massapequa, and has received numerous honors including a Bausch & Lomb Honorary Science Award and the gold medal in the Long Island Math Fair. She enjoys ballet and playing the clarinet, and hopes to pursue a career in public service after receiving her degree. Her parents are Steven Geringer and Janet Wanderman.