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competition

Nora Lowe Selected As National Semifinalist for Mars 2020 “Name the Rover” Contest

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PHOTO COURTESY OF BYRAM HILLS HIGH SCHOOL MEDIA CENTER

Nora Lowe, a Byram Hills High School sophomore was selected as a national semifinalist for the Mars 2020 “Name the Rover” contest and is now eligible to enter into the next round of competition.

NASA’s Mars 2020 rover is one step closer to having its own name after 155 students across the U.S. were chosen as semifinalists. Just one student will be selected to win the grand prize–the honor of naming the rover and an invitation to see the spacecraft launch in July 2020 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

The currently unnamed rover is a robotic scientist weighing more than 2,300 pounds (1,000 kilograms). It will search for signs of past microbial life on Mars, characterize the planet’s climate and geology, collect samples and pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet.

“This rover is the first leg of a round-trip mission to Mars that will advance understanding in key science fields like astrobiology,” said Lori Glaze, director of NASA’s Planetary Science Division. “This contest is a cool way to engage the next generation and encourage careers in all STEM fields. The chosen name will help define this rover’s unique personality among our fleet of Martian spacecraft.”

Nora’s entry was selected as New York’s winner in the high school category. The suggested name was Ambition Tardigrada.

NEWS COURTESY OF THE BYRAM HILLS SCHOOL DISTRICT

Beatles vs. Stones: A Musical Showdown at the Paramount–December 7

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“Beatles Chase” (l-r) shows Chris Paul Overall (“Paul”), Nate Bott (“John”), Axel Clarke (“Ringo”) and Jesse Wilder (“George”)

Chris Legrand (“Mick”), John Wade (“Billl Wyman”) and Trey Garitty (“Keith Richards”)

 

PHOTOS BY Michelle Fairless

PEEKSKILL, NY– For decades, the battle has raged: Beatles or Stones?  Through their heyday, fans accused London’s Rolling Stones of stealing ideas — even entire albums – from their Liverpool counterparts. At the same time, the Beatles secretly envied the Stones’ “bad boy” image and attitude, often copying their style.  Both bands are unmistakably great, scoring an array of hits that changed musical history, but only one can be the best.  The most infamous rivalry in rock and roll never played out in a public arena until now as Beatles vs. Stones – A Musical Showdown returns to the Paramount Theater on Saturday, December 7.  The show played to a capacity audience two years ago at the Paramount Theater. The show is appropriate for all ages. 

Will the Stones be yelling for “Help” to fight the songwriting prowess of Lennon/McCartney?  Or will the Beatles cry “Gimme Shelter” from the relentless sonic barrage of Jagger/Richards classics? 

While fierce competition fueled the creative output of both bands during the 1960’s, tension between the tribute performers is equally palpable. 

“The Beatles cornered the rock market on cute suits and fluffy hairdos, but then they stood still on stage and modeled them,” that according to Chris LeGrand, who plays a dead ringer for Mick Jagger in both swagger and ability.

“The Stones rocked the stage, and worked as hard as the bluesmen they modeled their stage show after, generating the smoldering sexuality that came to be a hallmark of great rock-n-roll acts.  The Beatles?  Well, they were cute!  The Stones were the original punks, outsiders at best.  Beatles took tea with the bloody Queen–how rock-n-roll is that?!”  

As for the Beatle response? “We got our Sgt. Pepper jackets made a little long so the Stones would have no problem riding our coattails!”  Mocks drummer Axel Clarke as Ringo.  “That Mick Jagger sure can move! It’s a shame he has to work twice as hard to be half as good!” 

Would you let your daughter marry a Rolling Stone, or your son come home with a Beatle haircut?  This ultimate battle of the bands pits the mop tops against the bad boys.  London against Liverpool.  Guitars will weep and dice will tumble, and in the end, when the whip comes down, only one band shall emerge victorious.   Whoever wins, the audience is sure to be dazzled by an “electrifying show” (O.C Register), with fantastic music, iconic wardrobe and spot on performances down to the onstage banter, missed notes and flubs heard on the original records.  

Members of both nationally touring tribute bands, Abbey Road and Satisfaction – The International Rolling Stones Show, have taken great care to recreate the experience of seeing these incredible bands live so as to please casual fans and purists alike.  That ‘All You Need is Love’ spirit appears to be lost on Messrs. Legrand and Clarke, who continue trading barbs. “The Beatles wrote Let It Be, but the Stones countered with Let It Bleed!” snarls Chris.

“Listen, mate,” counters Axel. “The song John and Paul gave to the Stones (‘I Wanna Be Your Man’ in 1963) was one they let Ringo sing…that says it all!”  Ouch.

Beatles or Stones? You decide!

“Sgt Pepper”: Bott, Clarke, Overall and Wilder

  News Courtesy of the Paramount Theater 

 

Byrams Hills Student Chosen as Siemens Semi-Finalist

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Ali at the Rubin Laboratory at Harvard University

While many high school students spent the summer working typical seasonal jobs as lifeguards or camp counselors, Byram Hills High School senior Alexandra Brocato spent hers researching Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) at the Rubin Laboratory in Harvard University’s Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology. Ali, as she is referred to at school, studied SMA, a leading genetic cause of infant mortality.

And her time in the lab paid off when she was named a Semi-Finalist in the prestigious National Siemens Competition in Math, Science and Technology for her extensive multi-year research project last month. She is part of the Dr. Robert Pavlica Authentic Science Research Program at the high school and was one of only eight high school students in Westchester County to be honored in the competition. Ali joined the Byram Hills science research program when she was a sophomore. The program now has 84 students with 31 seniors participating under the directorship of Mrs. Stephanie Greenwald.

SMA is a hereditary condition that causes spinal nerve cells to die. Symptoms may include diminished muscle tone, muscle weakness, respiratory problems, pneumonia, and swallowing and feeding difficulties. Ali’s research focused on identifying significant symptoms of the disease, in order to create a disease trajectory. By understanding the disease’s progression, doctors can introduce drug therapies at an earlier stage to prevent the disease from taking over a child’s body.

Ali with Mrs. Stephanie Greenwald, director of the Dr. Robert Pavlica Authentic Science Research Program at Byram Hills High School
PHOTOS COURTESY OF BARBARA NACKMAN, BOCES

Ali, originally was studying another neurogenerative disease, multiple sclerosis (MS) with a mentor at the New York Stem Cell Foundation but when the mentor was unable to offer her a summer position in the lab due to her status as a minor, Ali was undeterred. She contacted more than 50 professors to see if she could pursue research at a university level and eventually was permitted to at the Rubin Lab at Harvard University as the only high school student. The researchers at the lab were studying SMA.

Her first task at the Rubin Lab was learning R, a statistical programming software. She analyzed over 600,000 fields of data to understand the prevalence of SMA’s symptoms and create a timeline of the disease’s trajectory. Much of the research focus on SMA has examined the molecular side of the disease rather than how the disease progresses. Ali’s research will be helpful in the drug development process because it will hopefully allow doctors to intervene earlier before an individual’s symptoms actually worsen.

Next up, Ali will present her research at a stem cell conference and plans on submitting her project to the Regeneron Science Talent Search in mid-November. In terms of career aspirations Ali is considering studying computational biology or bioengineering in college. “I saw firsthand the power of programming and science research and the impact this can have in saving lives. This is what motivates me and excites me more than anything–using technology to combat disease and prolong and improve an individual’s quality of life,” she explained.

A true Renaissance woman, Ali plays competitive club soccer and Varisty soccer and competed in the World Maccabiah Games in Israel, where her team won a Gold Medal. She is also the co-editor-in-chief of The Oracle, the Byram Hills school newspaper.