JFK Student Wins National Merit Scholarship

A JFK Bellmore student has been selected as winner in the 2015 National Merit Scholarship Program.

Beatrice Brown, of Merrick, is one of 2,500 students across the country to win a $2,500 college scholarship.

Winners of the 2015 scholarship were selected from more than 1.4 million students who took the PSAT/NMSQT exam in October 2013. More than 15,000 students who met academic standards and other requirements were selected as finalists.

Beatrice was also a a semifinalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent Search for her project, entitled “Forecasting Hurricane Hazards for the Long Island Area.” She hopes to study law at college.

Most recently, Beatrice was one of two students to win the American Museum of Natural History’s Young Naturalist Award for her Intel project.

The Young Naturalist Award is a research-based science competition open to students in grades 7-12 aimed at promoting the natural sciences. It is sponsored by the American Museum of Natural History and the Alcoa Corporation.

Brown’s research project was rigorously evaluated by educators and scientists at the Museum. She was chosen from among a pool of finalists who completed STEM research projects focused on natural environments across the country. Motivated by the damage to her own home, the loss of her family’s personal belongings and the devastation to her community during Superstorm Sandy, Brown’s independent research project developed predictive models of the hurricane hazards faced by coastal communities on Long Island.

“It has been a pleasure to work with Bea for the last three years,” said Barbara Franklin, advanced science research teacher at Kennedy High School. “This project was born out of her desire to help her community. She has worked very hard and her success only partially shows the passion with which she attended to every detail of this project. I couldn’t be more proud of her and look forward to hearing of her many future successes.”

“Bea’s research on hurricane hazards is very important to our local communities on Long Island,” said Robert Soel, district science chair at Kennedy High School. “I am so impressed with her scientific talent and passion for research, which has driven her to make such a meaningful contribution while still in high school. She is a role model for her fellow students in the Advanced Science Research Program.”

As a national winner, Brown and her parents are invited to an all-expense-paid overnight stay in New York City and an awards ceremony and luncheon at the American Museum of Natural History.

She will also meet with museum scientists in a special behind-the-scenes tour of the museum’s laboratories and rare collections. Brown will also receive a $2,500 cash award for her achievement.

With Bellmore-Merrick Schools

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