Pelli Lab

High School Students

These high school students did projects in our lab and entered the Intel/Westinghouse Science Talent Search (semifinalists are starred ) and other national competitions (prizes are starred ).

2015 |2014 |2013 |2012 |2011 |2010 |2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | 1997
    Puja Sengupta (2014-2016). The effect of age on pleasure. JSHS (Junior Science and Humanities Symposium): Semi-finalist. Hicksville High School, 2017.
  Anett Cherkassky (2015-2016). The Halo Effect; determining how physical appearance and characteristic traits impact the attractiveness of a person,  Poly Prep Country Day School, 2017.
Brett Restrick   Brett Restrick (2015-2016). Changing the Characteristics Associated with the Color Blue in Marketing Initiatives. NYCSEF: promoted from the preliminary round to the Final round which will be on March 29th. Poly Prep Country Day School, 2017.
  Quetourah Dalencourt (2015-2016). How Does Peer Pressure Affect One's Perception of Beauty? pdf TEPTU: Finalist. NYCSEF: Preliminary Round. JSHS (Junior Science and Humanities Symposium): Semi-finalist. Midwood High School at Brooklyn College, 2016.
    Alexander Pan (2014-2015). The size and spacing limits of word recognition. 2nd place in the Human Behavior/Social Science division of the Sigma Xi Research Showcase Competition. Bronx High School of Science, 2016.
Noopur Ranganathan   Noopur Ranganathan (2013-2015). Effect of Text Direction on Reading Speed. First Place (Senior Division)- Behavioral Science Category, Dr. Nelson Ying Orange County Science Exposition-2014, Cash award of $100. Analysis of Peripheral Vision to Aid the Reading Process in Patients with Macular Degeneration. First Place (Senior Division)- Behavioral Science Category, Dr. Nelson Ying Orange County Science Exposition-2015, Cash award of $100; Outstanding Researcher Participant Award, Donald Cram Scholarship from Rollins College, Winter Park, $20,000 Florida Scholarship Award; Grand Prize "Ying Scholar" Award at the Dr. Nelson Ying Orange County Science Exposition-2015, Expense-paid trip to compete in Florida State Science and Engineering Fair in Lakeland, FL (March/April 2015), Expense-paid trip to compete in the Intel ISEF in Pittsburgh, PA (May 10-15, 2015) Scholarship Award of $1000. Third place award at the Florida State Science and Engineering Fair in Lakeland, FL. Finalist: placed second in the Behavioral Sciences category at the Intel ISEF 2015 on May 15th in Pittsburg. Trinity Preparatory School (Winter Park, FL), 2017.
    Ava Dishian (2014). Is looking longer more pleasurable? Hastings High School, 2015. Submitted to 2015 Intel Science Talent Search. Oberlin College, 2019.
    Campbell Silverstein (2014). How do speed-reading apps affect comprehension? Hastings High School, 2015. Submitted to 2015 Intel Science Talent Search.
    David Glaser (2014). Does sound help or hinder creativity? John F. Kennedy High School, 2015. Submitted to 2015 Intel Science Talent Search.
    Emma Rodney (2012-2014). Slow learning of unfamiliar letters predicts slow reading of English: Early screening test for dyslexia? Poly Prep Country Day School, 2015. Submitted to 2015 Intel Science Talent Search. Accepted by Penn and Cornell and wait listed at Duke and Harvard class of 2019.
    Michelle Qiu (2014). The number of V1 neurons required to see letters. Fayetteville High School, Fayetteville, Arakansas, 2015. Submitted to 2015 Intel Science Talent Search. Columbia University, 2019.
    Sonia Persaud (2014). Emotions impair recognition. Saint Francis Preparatory School, 2015. Submitted to 2015 Intel Science Talent Search.
Kristen Dudek  
Kristen Dudek (2012-2014). What text property determines reading acuity? Pelham Memorial High School, 2014.
k   Kyle Blidy (2011-2012). The effects of word isolators and text size on reading speeds in patients with age-related macular degeneration. Francis Lewis High School, 2013. pdf Submitted to the New York City Science and Engineering Fair (NYCEF) in Fall 2012.
  Zofii Kaczmarek (2012-2013). Why do word breaks speed reading? Stuyvessant High School, 2013. pdf Submitted to 2013 Intel Science Talent Search.
  Elska Kaczmarek (2012-2013). One universal critical spacing of crowding on the brain. pdf Stuyvessant High School, 2013. Submitted to 2013 Intel Science Talent Search.
Carolyn Yao   Carolyn Yao (2012-2013). The number of features used to identify a word depends on the number of possible words. pdf Stuyvessant High School, 2013. Submitted to 2013 Intel Science Talent Search.
  Krisha Mehta (2011-2013). The number of cortical neurons used to see. pdf Bronx Science High School, 2013. Submitted to 2013 Intel Science Talent Search.
   
Mena Youssef (2011) “Dyslexia is predicted by very slow learning of letter names.” Bard High School Early College, Queens 2012. Submitted to 2012 Intel Science Talent Search. Going to Princeton University in 2012.
    Gabrielle Frenkel (2011) “Summation of audio-visual stimuli by children: Does it help or hinder perception?”. The Bronx High School of Science 2012. Submitted to 2012 Intel Science Talent Search.
   
Anca Dogaroiu (2010) “Development of visual span”. Stuyvesant High School, 2011. Submitted to Intel Science Talent Search.New York City Science and Engineering Fair (NYCSEF): Third award in behavioral sciences and Air Force award for an outstanding science or engineering fair project. Four-year scholarship by Milton Fisher Scholarhip for Innovation and Creativity.
    Laura Werle (2010) “Limited reading: Locating the ceiling of reading speed and comprehension”.  Schreiber High School, 2011. Submitted to Intel Science Talent Search.
  Sushi Subburamu (2007 - 2010) Does ugliness affect judgment? The effect of typography on movie choice. pdf Bronx High School of Science 2010.
 
Elizabeth Kierstead (2006) Seeing the noise. Does visual noise affect visual sensitivity?pdf Stuyvesant High School, 2007.  Finalist in the New York City Science and Engineering Fair (NYCSEF). Now undergraduate at Columbia University 2011.
  Marian Zhen (2006) Is visual memory verbal?pdf Midwood High School, 2007. Mentors: Denis Pelli and Katharine Tillman.  Finalist in the New York City Science and Engineering Fair (NYCSEF). Semi-finalist in the Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS). Studied Chinese and Chinese Contemporary Culture at Peiking University summer 2008. Now undergraduate majoring in Chemistry (with a possible double major in Economics) at NYU 2011.
 
Jake Baron (2005–2006) The limits of counting.pdf Stuyvesant High School, 2006. Presented poster at 2006 Visual Sciences Society meeting. A.B. Mathematics at Dartmouth College 2009. M.Sc Applicable Mathematics at London School of Economics, 2010. Now graduate student in Math, working on combinatorics, at Rutgers University.
    Cayla Bergman (2005) Reading development: Letter by letter decoding in English and Italian readers.pdf Plainview Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy High School, 2006. Mentors: Marialuisa Martelli and Denis Pelli. Semi-finalist in the Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS). Presented poster at 2006 Visual Sciences Society meeting. Now undergraduate at Vanderbilt 2010.
    Elaine Cheng (2004–2005) East meets West: A western attempt to explain recognition of Chinese characters.pdf Bronx High School of Science 2006. Mentors: Denis Pelli and Katharine Tillman. Now majoring in history and environmental science at NYU 2010.
photo   star Yi Cui (2005) Skimming.pdf Bronx High School of Science 2006. Mentors: Denis Pelli and Katharine Tillman. Over summer of 2008, he's "in LA working part time for a fashion wholesaler, working on Netsuite, an ecommerce software for small businesses." Now majoring in math at Duke University 2010.
photo   Iman Hassan (2005) A focus on reading. Stuyvesant High School, 2006. Mentors: Denis Pelli and Jordan Suchow. Now undergraduate at Columbia 2010.
    Jason Rosenblatt (2005) The use of prior knowledge in reading.pdf Plainview Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy High School, 2006. Mentors: Denis Pelli and Katharine Tillman. Semi-finalist in the Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS). Now majoring in Economics at University of Michigan 2010.
photo  
star Jordan W. Suchow (2003–ongoing) Learning to identify letters: Generalization in high-level perceptual learning. pdf Irvington High School, 2005. Presented poster at 2005 Visual Sciences Society meeting. Suchow & Pelli (2008). Letter learning: Feature detection and integration [Abstract]. Journal of Vision. Suchow & Pelli (submitted) Learning to Detect and Combine the Features of an Object. BA in Neuroscience at Brandeis University 2009. Now graduate student in Psychology at Harvard University with George Alvarez.

  Intel 2004 semifinalists at NYU. In the last row, from the right, you see Henny Admoni and Lyuba Azbel (wearing a blue scarf). Betty Kolod (not shown) was out of town.

Henny Admoni (2003–2004) Counting features: Quantifying discrete parts in visual object identification. pdf Great Neck North High School, 2004. Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Portland, Oregon: $20,000 portable undergraduate scholarship from Dept. of Homeland Security,  $5,000 Best of Category Award for Top First Place Winner from Intel, $3,000 First Award from Intel, $3,000 First Award from U.S. Air Force, $1,000 First Award from American Psychological Association, and Seaborg SIYSS Award - expense-paid trip to attend Nobel ceremony in Stockholm. Long Island Science and Engineering Fair (LISEF): Best in Category - Behavior Sciences. BA in Computational Cognitive Science at Wesleyan University 2007. Now studying for MA in Computer Science at Wesleyan 2008. Planning to pursue "a PhD in Computer Science, with a heavy focus on Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive Science."

Lyuba Azbel (2003–2004) How do the deaf read? The paradox of performing a phonemic task without sound. pdf Midwood High School, 2004. The U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force sponsored 42nd National Junior Science & Humanities Symposium (JSHS) contest in Baltimore, Maryland: Third Place Winner - $2,000 scholarship. New York Junior Science and Humanities Symposium: Second Place Writing Award. BA in Russian and Eastern European Studies at Wesleyan University 2008.

Elizabeth “Betty” Kolod (2003–2004) How does learning sign language affect visual perception? pdf Midwood High School, 2004. Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Portland, Oregon: $1,500 Second Award from Intel. BA in Chemistry from Wesleyan University 2008. Working "in dr. rex pratt's bio-organic chemistry lab, synthesizing and evaluating inhibitors of of beta-lactamases, the enzymes responsible for bacterial resistance to antibiotics." Now continuing this research towards MA Wesleyan 2010.

Hang Xu (2003–2004) The time course of beauty. Stuyvesant High School, 2004. pdf Undergrad at Rhode Island School of Design.

Samba Silla (2002–2003) Gestalt rules the corner of your eye. pdf Poster at VSS pdf. Stuyvesant High School, 2003. BA in Psychological and Brain Sciences at Dartmouth College 2007. Taught English at a college in Si-Ping, a small city in north-eastern China. Now paralegal at Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP.

Intel 2002 semifinalists at NYU. Moon Hee Lee is in front row, wearing a red sweater. Amber Liang is immediately behind her. They were mentored by Denis Pelli (back row, far left) and Marialuisa Martelli (first row, far left).

Moon Hee Lee (2001–2002) Combining orientations to identify letters. pdf Poster at VSS pdf. Stuyvesant High School, 2002. Now undergrad in Bio-Neuroscience and Human Development at University of Chicago 2006. “I am in a lab studying cerebellum development. We identified a couple of genes that might be linked to autism in humans. And I am studying culture and mental health with a professor in human development.”

“Amber” Yan Xian Liang (2001–2002) Readers beware! Effects of visual noise on the channel for reading. pdf Poster at VSS pdf. Stuyvesant High School, 2002. BA in Psychology at Cornell University 2006. "After graduating, I went to Japan as part of the JET Program, which is sponsored by the Japanese Ministry of Education to improve English education in Japanese public schools. I spent an amazing two years in a small rural city teaching English in a Japanese High School and I've just returned to New York. It's pretty difficult in the current economic environment, but I'm trying to find a job in the corporate world."

Kristen Lam (2000–2001) Does language determine thought? Visual communication parallels verbal language. pdf Stuyvesant High School, 2001. BA in Finance and International Business at Georgetown University 2005. Now studying Law at Georgetown 2008.

“Lisa” Qiong Wu (2000–2001) Are faces special? A visual object recognition study: Faces vs. letters. pdf Stuyvesant High School, 2001.

Jeremy Fox (2000–2001) Identifying emotions in faces: A developmental study. pdf Poster at ECVP pdf. Stuyvesant High School, 2001. BA in Psychological and Brain Sciences from Johns Hopkins University 2005. Currently a doctoral candidate in clinical psychology at the University at Albany, SUNY 2010. "My research interests focus primarily on the developmental psychopathology of anxiety and mood disorders. And my ultimate goal is to develop a program of research that facilitates the development of early screening and prevention programs for children at risk for anxiety and depression."

Nila Leigh (1999–2000) Who needs cheeks? Eyes and mouths are enough for emotion identification & Evidence for a “face superiority” effect. pdf Stuyvesant High School, 2000. BA in Drama at NYU 2004.

Eunice Jo (1999–2000) Crowding affects reading in peripheral vision. pdf Stuyvesant High School, 2000.

Edward Kim (1998–1999) What makes a letter? pdf Stuyvesant High School, 1999. BA in Comparative Politics at Dartmouth 2003. Analyst at CQ Partners, 2003-2006. Now Equity Research Associate, Life Insurance Sector, UBS.

J. Y. Kim (1998–1999) Identifying expressions of upside-down faces.

Corrina Moucheraud (1997–1998) Recognizing the expressions of a letter. Stuyvesant High School, 1998. BA in French, with minor in Biology, Wellesley University 2002. Now graduate student in Health Behavior and Health Education to receive Masters in Public Health at North Carolina at Chapel Hill in May 2005. “i spent the summer in nigeria, working on an hiv program there, which was pretty amazing (and certainly a juggernaut of anecdotes and tropical illnesses!). i've narrowed my field of interest to infectious diseases, which is simultaneously morbid and fascinating. and i am writing my first manuscript down here, on the topic of power and race dynamics and the ethics of community-based research. it's a different experience than writing for a neuroscience audience, so it has been very interesting for me so far! ... the north carolina triangle is quite good. an interesting mix of outdoors adventure and (peri)urban pursuits. i certainly miss a good slice of pizza, [but] i mind less and less as time goes by.”

Dmitri Kotlyarenko (1997–1998) Object identification.

Gina Cardazone (1997–1998) The effects of crowding on letter identification. pdf Stuyvesant High School, 1998. Regent's Scholarship led to BA in Cognitive Science with an emphasis on Neuroscience at UC Berkeley 2002. Worked in Brooklyn with developmentally disabled people in 2003. Played guitar with the band "Not Without Your Daughter." Now grad student in Psychology, Community and Cultural, at U of Hawaii 2012.

Peri Kurshan (1996–1997) Identifying letters. Published in Vision Research pdf. Stuyvesant High School, 1997. BS in Neuroscience at Brown University 2001. Studied honey bee dopamine receptors in New Zealand. Studied Drosophila dopamine receptors in Alan Kopin’s lab in the Molecular Pharmacology Research Center at Tuft's New England Medical Center. Now graduate student in Neurobiology at Harvard.

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