Joseph Miguel Robertazzi
Ossining High School
Ossining, New York
About Joseph Miguel Robertazzi
Joseph investigated whether a changing weak spot in the Earth’s magnetic field in the southern hemisphere influences the migratory patterns of birds. He did so by analyzing the patterns of four species of birds that normally migrate through this weak spot, known as the South Atlantic Anomaly. He suggests additional study be done to explore avian magnetoreception and this exceptional behavior in birds.
Migration and Magnetism: A Longitudinal Analysis Identifying the Relationship Between the South Atlantic Anomaly and Shifts in Migratory Bird Populations
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Joseph Miguel Robertazzi, 18, of Ossining, investigated whether a site of reduced strength in the Earth’s magnetic field in the southern hemisphere influences the migratory patterns of birds for his animal sciences project for the Regeneron Science Talent Search. Using publicly available data, he employed methods that he developed himself in the programming language Python to analyze the migratory patterns of four species of long-distance birds that fly through an area known as the South Atlantic Anomaly. He found that the largest groups of bird species tend to shift away from the anomaly, centered over South America, where the strength has weakened. He believes this marks the first time a researcher has used Python to investigate the anomaly’s impact on American migratory bird populations, opening the door for future research in the area of magnetoreception in birds and magnetic anomalies.
Joseph attends Ossining High School, where he captains the varsity cross country team, plays the cello and takes part in the school’s engineering club, for which he recently had middle school students design a robot during a summer robotics workshop. The son of Linda Salvador and Raphael Robertazzi, Joseph hopes to become a data scientist.
Beyond the Project
Joseph captains the varsity track team and recently taught middle schoolers how to design a robot during a summer engineering workshop. He also spends afternoons caring for his grandmother.
FUN FACTS: Joseph holds a second-degree black belt in Taekwondo and plays the cello for his school orchestra. He conducted his first scientific experiment on magnetism for his 4th grade science fair.
