NISKAYUNA, N.Y. (NEWS10) – A Niskayuna teen has been named as one of the top middle school science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) students in the country. Kai Vernooy tis a top-30 finalist in the Boradcom Masters, the nation’s premier STEM middle school competition.
The 14-year-old’s project, titled Hacking the Election: Measuring and Solving Gerrymandering in Today’s Political System, uses algorithms to draw election boundaries based on population, geographical location and political persuasion. Kyle and his team also wrote an algorithm to rate the state’s current voting districts.
This year’s Broadcom Masters is the first to take place virtually, and finalists will compete for over $100,000 in awards.
