Northport HS Senior Named LI Science & Engineering Fair Finalist

NORTHPORT, NY — James Connor, a senior at Northport High School, was selected on March 29 as one of the finalists in the regional Long Island Science and Engineering Fair, the Northport-East Northport School District announced.

James' award-winning computer science project was titled "Attributing State-backed information Operations on Twitter through Machine Learning." He designed an algorithm to associate disinformation posted on Twitter with the people responsible for the tweet.

"While the utilization of disinformation by individuals is harmful, the tactic is worse when adopted by foreign nations who seek to influence politics, finances or ideological beliefs around the world," James stated in his paper.

The school district noted the commonness of state-back disinformation campaigns, known as information operations, and stated there remain little means for efficiently attributing an operation to the responsible nation-state.

James' project resulted in a model that could attribute tweets from an information operation with approximately 92 percent accuracy, according to the district.

James and the other finalists from around the world will compete in the virtual 2021 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF). Judging will take place from May 3 through 6 via video conferencing. Official Regeneron ISEF events are slated for May 16 through 21, featuring distinguished panels, the Finalist Exhibit Hall, a Career Hall, the ISEF College Fair and a STEM Experiential Hall.