59th Annual STS (1999–2000)
Finalists
Lucas Maccabee Hanft

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Lucas Maccabee Hanft, 17, of Port Washington, adapted the Lost Letter Technique (LLT) to compare urban/suburban opinions and altruism levels in his behavioral and social sciences project for the Intel Science Talent Search. LLT methodology is based on a societal obligation to mail a lost letter, and conclusions rely on relative return rates. To compare attitudes of New Yorkers with suburbanites, Lucas "lost" 1,600 self-addressed, stamped envelopes in Manhattan and Nassau County, including apparent wedding invitations, and letters to fictitious organizations representing unequivocal points of view. Of the various "drop spots," guarded parking lots proved the greatest hazard, but only once was Lucas threatened with arrest! His research showed city dwellers to be generally more liberal than suburbanites, and both groups equally altruistic. Lucas believes his high response rate of 55.75% may spark a renewed interest in LLT as a public opinion measurement tool. A published author and frequent awardee, Lucas is founder and president of the film society at Paul D. Schreiber High School. The son of Adam and Flora Hanft, he hopes to attend Yale.