59th Annual STS (1999–2000)
Finalists
Kerry Ann Geiler

NEW YORK
Kerry Ann Geiler, 17, of Massapequa Park, a finalist in the Intel Science Talent Search, examined in detail the complex system by which ants communicate. The Massapequa High School student's entry in the behavioral and social sciences category deciphered the specific meanings of some of their language. Her interest in insect behavior goes as far back as elementary school where she started a 'bug club.' In the Intel entry, Kerry studied five ant colonies, introducing stimuli that would require the ants to communicate. Using sensitive instruments and treated papers, she measured the behavioral and chemical signals the ants emitted to communicate such events as attack or the discovery of food. Kerry's study gives new insights into how ants communicate and provides a building block for further inquiries into the communications of the world's insects, whose total mass is roughly equivalent to that of all humans. Kerry has received numerous honors in music as well as academics and helped persuade school officials to expand the music curriculum. Her parents are Bill and Arlene Geiler. She hopes to attend Cornell and pursue a research career in bioscience.