Science Research Student Honored For Sprinter App Development
Science Research Student Honored For Sprinter App Development
Seaford High School senior Denys Zagrebin was recently recognized for his scientific achievements with awards at a pair of science and engineering fairs, and from STANYS.
Denys, a first-year student in the science research program, created a product called Speedsync, which is an application sprinters can use on a smartwatch. It is integrated with a wireless transmitter to keep accurate times. He explained that when the sprinter starts running, the smartwatch automatically detects their quick acceleration and activates the stopwatch. After the sprinter reaches the finish line, the smartwatch reads the signal from the wireless transmitter and stops the stopwatch. He said the goal of the product is to provide the sprinter with automatic sprint timing, so they don't need to worry about pressing any buttons or relying on other people.
He initial idea was to create a brand-new device, which would strap onto a runner’s palm and be manual. Working with his mentor, David Li, a firmware engineer from SpaceX, they brainstormed new ideas and decided to use wireless technology paired with a device runners already have.
Denys received honorable mention for his project at the Long Island Science and Engineering Fair and third place at the New York State Science and Engineering Fair. He also won the Outstanding Student Award for Seaford from the Nassau County chapter of the Science Teachers Association of New York State. Each school district selects one student to honor annually.
He was recognized, along with other exceptional science students, at the Nassau STANYS Science Awards Dinner on May 19 at the Coral House in Baldwin. Joining him were his science research teachers, Lilly Alaimo and Alexis Charles, as well as several administrators.
“I couldn't have done this project without the assistance of my mentor, along with my amazing teachers,” Denys said. “It does feel great, but I feel like all those people also deserve the same award.”
Ms. Charles described Denys as a very diligent and dedicated science research student. She noted the amount of work he put into his project both inside and outside of class.
“I’m extremely proud of him as his research teacher,” she said. “His success is truly a testament to his scholarship and his abilities as a young scientist.”
“He’s intelligent, he’s dependable and he’s one of the most hard-working students I’ve ever seen,” Ms. Alaimo added, noting that this was not a typical science research project. She could see his work turning into a real product on the market in the future.
Denys said that he initially participated in a space research competition, Genes in Space, and met one of Seaford High School’s research assistants, Richard Kurtz. Mr. Kurtz then convinced Denys to start a project after that competition, which led him to joining the science research program. After high school, he plans to work on his project further and will be majoring in computer engineering at the Rochester Institute of Technology.
