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A recent Maryland high school graduate has won first place in the student poster competition at the NASA Exploration Science Forum, according to officials.
Dominic Alfinito, a 2022 graduate of North County High School in Glen Burnie, presented his asteroid research paper at the conference in Houston, Texas that took place between July 19 and July 21, says the Universities Space Research Association.
Alfinito's paper, "Possible Causes of Hydration of Vesta's Oppia Crater" was the highest scoring research project of the 2021-2022 Exploration of the Moon and Asteroids by Secondary Students (ExMASS) program.
ExMASS is a high school research program designed to envelop participants in the process of science and build positive attitudes toward science, enhancing lunar and asteroid science knowledge.
Alfinito competed with a variety of other students, including high school, undergraduate, and graduate students in the poster competition.
Out of 15 entries, the recent high school graduate's work shone through with a first-place finish.
As the first-place winner, Alfinito will receive a $1500 travel grant to attend a future scientific meeting of his choice.
Alfinito will continue his studies, soon beginning his freshman year as a physics major at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
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