Dominic Alfinto graduated from North County High School just a few months ago, but has already beat out college graduate students with his science research project.
Alfinto presented this research, on hydration patterns of a crater on one of the largest objects in the asteroid belt, Vesta.
His research project, "Possible Causes of Hydration of Vesta's Oppia Crater" won first place in the student poster competition in the 2021-2022 Exploration of the Moon and Asteroids by Secondary Students program.
He was advised on the project by Dr. Parvathy Prem, of Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Lab and his High School teacher Michelle Hymowitz.
Alfinto went to the the University of Colorado to present his research at the NASA Exploration Science Forum last month.
A spokesperson from Anne Arundel County Public Schools tells us that Alfinto plans to study physics at the University of Maryland, Baltimore.
