Roslyn High School senior Tiffany Sun was named one of 40 finalists Wednesday in the 2015 Intel Science Talent Search, a national competition that awards more than $1.6 million in research awards.
Sun’s paper was entitled, The Effect of SES, Beauty and Disability in the Trolly Problem. She was one of four Roslyn students to be named semifinalists earlier this month, tied with Great Neck for the most on Long Island.
Sun was unable to immediately be reached for comment Wednesday.
Sun explored the role attractiveness, economic status and disability play in one’s approach to the Trolley Problem, an ethical thought experiment in which one determines whether to rescue five people tied to train tracks by diverting an oncoming trolley to another track with someone else tied to it.
In her experiment, participants would decide on who to save based on whether the single person tied to the alternate track – whom Sun presented as female in each exercise – was attractive, in favorable economic standing or in sound physical health.
“People were more likely to sacrifice the person who was plain, disabled or of low economic status,” she told Blank Slate Media earlier this month, adding that she planned to continue the research by presenting a male tied to the secondary track.
As a finalist, Sun will attend a competition in Washington, D.C. from March 5-11 where she will compete for three Medal of Distinction awards of $150,000, three $75,000 second-place awards and three $35,000 third-place awards. All finalists receive at least $7,500.
The annual contest began more than 70 years ago. Past winners include eight Nobel Laureates, five National Medals of Science winners, two Fields medalists and 12 MacArthur Foundation fellows.
