A nearly yearlong study of badminton racquet strings by a Wantagh High School student culminated with the recent publication of her research. Senior Analise Keym, who did the project last year in her Advanced Placement Research class, was officially published on Dec. 5 in the Journal of High School Science.

Analise has been a member of the varsity badminton team since her sophomore year and, as an attacking player, wanted to find the right strings for her racquet. She noted there wasn’t much research out there, so she decided to make that the topic for her AP Research paper. 

“There was a gap for me to fill in,” Analise said, adding that she wanted to provide useful information to fellow badminton players, specifically those who play the attacker position. “Now I have empirical-based evidence, supporting which ones are best.”

She conducted studies of three separate strings, using an accelerometer to measure the acceleration of the shuttlecock in her testing. 

Analise received a 5, the highest possible score, on her research paper. AP Research, which is the second course in the AP Capstone program, requires students to complete an independent research project. They write a 5,000-word paper and give a 20-minute presentation outlining their topic and findings.

AP Capstone was launched in Wantagh a decade ago, and Analise became only the second student in eight cohorts of AP Research students to have her work published. She had to make several revisions to her paper, as the requirements for a professional journal are different from the College Board’s expectations for research papers. Those revisions, including expanding on the methodology she used, were completed over the summer and the early part of this school year, nearly doubling the length of her original paper. Analise’s published paper is titled, “Polymer microstructure effects on impact response, frequency dynamics, and vibrational signatures in high-performance badminton racket strings.”

Heather Naughton, AP Research teacher, encouraged Analise to explore publishing opportunities. She is extremely proud of her former student’s ability to produce intellectually interesting research that will have real-world impact.

“Analise is probably one of the most motivated students we’ve had in the 10 years of this program,” Ms. Naughton said. “The quality of the work and the dedication over the year and a half that she put into her research is exemplary. Analise really is the epitome of the determination and drive and intellect expected in AP Capstone.”

In addition to playing badminton, Analise is co-president of the Creative Writing Club, editors of the Escapers creative writing magazine, vice president of the Heroes Among Us Club and a member of Mathletes. She will graduate from Wantagh High School in June having taken 15 AP classes, including self-study. To date, she has scored a 3 or higher on every AP exam she has taken through junior year. Analise will earn the AP Capstone Diploma and is also pursuing the Seal of Biliteracy.

She is currently in the process of exploring colleges and while she is undecided on her future major, Analise wants to continue pursuing research.