58th Annual STS (1998–1999)
Finalists
Nicholas Joseph Superina

Nicholas Joseph Superina, 18, of Smithtown, did a follow up study on the recovery of Brookhaven National Laboratory's Gamma Forest on Long Island as his ecology project for the Intel Science Talent Search. Originally irradiated in 1961 with Cesium (137) to study the effects of radiation, the forest has made a steady recovery that was carefully documented until 1979, when the experiment ended. That study's results predicted vegetation regrowth in the area surrounding the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Nick's work updates the earlier research and the circular recovery zones—the center-most area is populated by pine trees surrounded by a ring of sedges, a grass-like plant so dense it inhibits tree growth, before giving way to a ring of oak forest that's devoid of pines. At Smithtown High School, Nick plays with the jazz, pit and marching bands and is vice president of the Spanish Honor Society. He has lettered in track and field, was named to the Amateur Baseball League's all-star team and collects New York Yankees memorabilia. The son of Carl and Marie Superina, he hopes to become a physician specializing in sports medicine after attending Duke.

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