Prize Recipient

Franklin Orndorff-Plunkett

Background:

Franklin Orndorff-Plunkett hails from New Mexico, land of the flea and home of the plague. At Albuquerque Academy, he was a class officer throughout high school, serving as president and vice-president during his junior and senior years.

In community work, he served as an usher at Annual Martin Luther King, Junior celebrations, was the featured speaker at a Kirtland AFB MLK Jr. Commemorative Breakfast, helped with holiday activities at a homeless shelter for women and children, and worked on an oral history project for the African American Museum of New Mexico.

From sixth grade through senior year, Franklin participated in Science Olympiad. He won a gold medal at the national tournament in the sixth grade, and another medal in twelfth grade and numerous medals at regional and state competitions. He lettered in Science for these activities.

His interest in physics originated from an unlikely source  television. Franklin was captivated by NOVA on PBS and enjoyed many episodes on astrophysics, cosmology, and engineering, which piqued his curiosity to see and know more. While taking Advanced Placement Chemistry, he started to think about everyday, commonplace things differently. Boiling water for tea brought thoughts of specific heat, freezing point depression, and boiling point elevation. Daily life was filled with scientific concepts; wanting more, Franklin signed up for physics and later AP Physics C and found just the inspiration he was looking forthe theory and formalism behind the everyday activities made so much sense. The elegance of the universe was seductive and an inspired love affair began.

Franklin will attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology to major in physics. In addition to his abiding love and fascination with physics and what it can do for humankind, Franklin is interested in languages and music. He studied French for four years and independently learned enough Chinese to test into Chinese III his senior year. He has studied Yoruba and Bambara for several years. Franklin plays saxophone and classical piano; he played with his school jazz band several years, and was their vocal soloist. Nine years with the Albuquerque Boy Choir and two years with the a cappella singers at his school attest to his commitment to music. His newer interests include dance, salsa and swing. One might call Franklin a well-rounded nerd.