Paul Thaler, Teacher Santa Susana High School 3570 B. Cochran Street, Room 308 Simi Valley, CA 93063 (805)520-6800 March, 2017 Dear Members of the 2017 Senior Project Panel: ‘Mr. Thomas Mancinelli, a Senior at Santa Susana High School, formally asked me to bbe his Senior Project Advisor in Fall, 2016. Thomas was a student of mine in CP ‘Chemistry his sophomore year, in AP Environmental Science his junior year, and is, currently in my AP Chemistry class. He did, and is doing, very well in all of these rigorous courses. His project, exploring the existence of habitable planets besides Earth, seemed like a worthwhile subject when he informed me of it his junior year, even before he asked me to be his advisor. We agreed that testing such an idea might present challenges as a high-school project, but that it would be a worthwhile research endeavor for an industrious enough individual. ‘Thomas has spent a good amount of time preparing his project. He has attended multiple presentations on the subject at numerous venues, including Cal Tech, JPL, and the Griffith Observatory ‘There is of course more to the story, and 1 believe his Senior Project Panel may look forward to a most informative presentation. Sincerely, Paul Thee} SSHS Chemistry and AP Environmental Science Teacher