65th Annual STS (2005-2006)
Finalists
Jonathan Blake Sellon

CONNECTICUT
Jonathan Blake Sellon, 18, of Westport, researched a new way of examining human audio processing which can be applied to current speech recognition technology and cochlear implants for his Intel Science Talent Search project in medicine and health. Jon focused on the theory that the inner hair cells (IHCs) located on the ear's basilar membrane help control which signals or sound frequencies the brain focuses on, allowing the listener to distinguish one sound among many. Although many computer algorithms struggle to effectively eliminate background noise or differentiate between two sources of input, this is easily managed by the human brain. By creating a computer model simulating the response of IHCs to stimuli and integrating the model into current auditory nerve stimulation software, Jon believes he increased the accuracy of the separation algorithm. Captain of the award-winning engineering team at Staples High School, Jon also competes on the varsity cross country team. The son of Christopher and Lynn Sellon, Jon is a certified medical response technician who plans to study computer science at Princeton or Columbia, focusing on neuroscience applications.