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Samantha Marie Scibelli, 17, of Burnt Hills, conducted a census of blue stars identified in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) to determine whether they were properly classified for her Intel Science Talent Search project in physics and space science. The astronomical survey, which has mapped over one-quarter of the sky, classifies more than 12,000 objects as blue stars based on their light spectra. Samantha examined the spectral data and identified 1,203 objects that she believed to be misclassified. Further investigation identified 626 of the objects as new. Samantha proposed 11 new categories for classifying these new stars, and hopes to submit her findings for inclusion in future releases of the SDSS. She has presented her research at two state conferences in addition to the 2013 American Astronomical Society conference. Samantha attends Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School where she serves as treasurer of the National Honor Society and math club, and also competes on the varsity field hockey team. She is a volunteer tutor for elementary school students and for high school Earth Science and Geometry students, and is the communications director for the school's Leadership Training Program. Her parents are Anthony and Julie Scibelli.
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