64th Annual STS (2004-2005)
Finalists
Justin Alexander Kovac

FLORIDA
Justin Alexander Kovac, 17, of Miami, investigated the ocean's role in hurricane intensification for his Intel Science Talent Search project in earth and planetary science. He studied warm pools of water in the Gulf of Mexico, known as warm core rings (WCRs), and researched WCR-hurricane interactions. In the process, he conducted the first census of WCRs using satellite altimetry and tracked a new statistic: tropical cyclone heat potential. In matching WCR locations with the tracks of tropical cyclones traveling through the Gulf during an 11-year period, he identified an average 1.9 interactions annually. His findings also indicate that tropical cyclones passing over WCRs intensified by an average of 13.4 knots. Justin believes his work is a first step toward better predictions of hurricane strength. He reports that another benefit of his STS project was learning "that iguanas will creep up on you when you least expect it!" Justin, who has perfect SAT scores, attends Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, Maryland, where he competes in track and field. He also enjoys snorkeling, cycling, camping and swing dancing. The son of George Kovac and Holly Davis, he plans to study engineering in college.