65th Annual STS (2005-2006)
Finalists
David Bruce Kelley

NEW YORK
David Bruce Kelley, 18, of Highland, submitted a particle physics research project concerning low-energy neutrino detection in liquid neon to the Intel Science Talent Search. David's project explored the brief delay, called trapping time, that electrons experience when they move through the liquid-vapor boundary in cryogenic liquids. Some researchers believe this delay is due to the tunneling effect, which occurs when an electron approaches a potential barrier that it could not pass according to the laws of classical physics. By comparing data published in two journal articles with his experimental measurements, David concluded that both papers have incorrect trapping time predictions and that quantum tunneling is not the primary cause of the electrons' delay. At Highland High School, David enjoys the math and science clubs and is a multiple Science Olympiad medal winner. He is principal French horn in the College/Youth Symphony at SUNY New Paltz, which he joined in eighth grade. A soccer referee, he enjoys music, running, cooking and traveling. David hopes to attend college at MIT or Cornell and become a research scientist. He is the son of Bruce Kelley and Joan deVries Kelley.