Scientific Anomaly: Kennedy Intel Semifinalist Josh Cohen

Upon meeting him, the only thing more noticeable about Josh Cohen than his brilliance, is his humility.

The Kennedy senior, though incredibly bright and gifted, would be the last person in the world to brag about his intelligence, as noted by his surprise upon being announced as a semifinalist in the 2011 Intel Science Talent Search.

“I was very surprised, to be honest,” Cohen said. “I thought my research project was pretty good, but I didn’t know that it was at that level, so I was very surprised, very happy. Being an Intel semifinalist adds viability to your whole project and sort of proves that someone has the potential to be a scientist in the future, which is really what I’m aiming for.”

While Cohen may feel his surprise is warranted, nobody else was surprised by the selection.

“Josh is very humble, in that he’s saying that he never thought his research would potentially be that good,” said Barbi Frank, a science teacher at Kennedy who helped and supported Cohen throughout his studies. “But Josh has been told, and we have known, that his research is equivalent to a graduate level student’s research. It’s absolutely incredible. … Everybody is impressed by his work.”

Cohen’s project, “Atmospheric Properties of Biogenic Aerosols Produced by Mangroves” earned him a $1,000 scholarship and the possibility of moving along the finals. He is one of just 57 students on Long Island to reach the semifinals, which only 300 students were chosen for nationwide.

Cohen’s study, as the title suggests, investigates the atmospheric properties of aerosols produced by tropical plants, namely red and black mangroves. Aerosols, or particles suspended in the atmosphere, can change the Earth’s climate by causing a cooling effect. They can affect atmospheric processes by influencing cloud and ice formation and absorbing water.

“The general theme of my project was aerosols, which are liquid or solid particles that are suspended in the atmosphere that can affect atmospheric processes,” he explained. “Aerosols are of relevance right now in atmospheric science because they can effect atmospheric properties differently than carbon dioxide or ozone. Aerosols usually cause a global cooling effect instead of a global warming effect.”

Cohen’s previously collected aerosols were analyzed for their sizes, compositions and hygroscopic growth (growth when exposed to water vapor). His results from the project indicated that the aerosols used can potentially play an important role in atmospheric processes.

Kennedy has now had an astonishing 27 Intel semifinalists in the past eight years. The success of Kennedy’s science program, along with Cohen’s project, has been praised by several members of the Kennedy faculty, including Principal Lorraine Poppe.

“I am extremely proud of the work that Josh has accomplished,” Poppe said. “This recognition is a tribute to his perseverance and commitment to the research process. I also applaud the support of his science research teacher at Kennedy, Mrs. Barbi Frank. Furthermore, I would like to note that over the past eight years, Kennedy has had 27 students recognized as Intel Semifinalists.  Josh joins an impressive list of distinguished ‘young scientists’ at Kennedy, and we wish him much success as he advances in this competition.”

In addition to his ingenious project and work as an individual researcher, Cohen has also excelled in several other areas of science and has helped lead the Kennedy Science Olympiads to countless victories over the course of the past three years. The Science Olympiad is a team event where Josh is a member of a 15-member team that competes in all areas of science.

“He’s definitely been one of the integral members of the team that has allowed us to go to the state competition for six years running. Josh has been a member for the past three,” said Helmut Schleith, another of Kennedy’s science research teachers.  “… He’s done things ranging from Chemistry to Astronomy to protein modeling – very varied science events and he’s excelled at all of them. He’s really multi–faceted.”

As a sophomore, Cohen took it upon himself to take part in a countywide competition in Neuroscience, where he finished in fourth place.

“He finished fourth in the county as a sophomore, but he was up against seniors who had probably been studying neuroscience for a few years,” science research teacher Barbara Franklin said. “He basically just decided to take the book and study it, and he came in fourth in the counties.”

“He reads and he just knows everything. He’ll never say that, but he’s a reader and he’s interested in all areas of science,” Frank added. “… He does everything and he’s not doing it for a competition, he’s doing it for his love for science.”

Cohen is still waiting to hear back from several of the nation’s top universities including Duke, Rice, the University of Rochester and (MIT). He will find out about his applications in April. As for his major, Cohen has a pretty solid idea of what he’d like to do.

“I’m actually not planning on studying environmental science as a major in college, I’m planning on majoring in biomedical engineering,” he said. “I want to do some undergraduate research and focus on medical imaging. After college I hope to go on to medical school.”

The Intel Science Talent Search’s states that “Over the past 68 years, former Science Talent Search finalists have achieved some of the world's most prestigious academic honors. Seven have gone on to win the Nobel Prize; others have been awarded the Fields Medal, the National Medal of Science, and the MacArthur Foundation Fellowship.”

40 finalists out of the pool of 300 will be invited to Washington D.C. later this year for a chance at a $100,000 scholarship. Regardless of how things turn out for Cohen, the humble genius is more than happy with the outcome thus far.

“I wasn’t sure if this would make it to the semifinals, so I don’t really want to make any judgments on whether it will make it to the finals,” he said. “I’ll be happy either way.”

One look at Cohen's incredible achievements as a student at Kennedy is more than enough to convince anyone of his quest for knowledge:

• National Merit Semifinalist (senior year).
• Science Olympiad Medals (sophomore and junior years).
• Long Island Math Fair 2nd and 3rd Place Medals- Projects on Tower of Hanoi (sophomore year) and Cellular Automata (junior year).
• National Spanish Exam- Premio De Plata/Silver Medal (junior year).
• Bausch and Lomb Honorary Science Award School Winner (junior year).
• Nassau County Brain Bee Participant (sophomore year).
• American Mathematics Competition (AMC) Participant (sophomore and junior year).
• NYSSMA Festival Participant -- Highest score: 97 on level 6 solo, “Sonata” by Garland Anderson (grades 7-10).
• Honor Societies: National Honor Society, NY State Science Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta (Math), Tri-M (Music).
• Member of: Science Club (Treasurer/Vice President), Math Team, Jazz Ensemble, Computer Club and H.O.P.E. (Help Our Planet Earth) Club.