Science

2018 Westchester & Putnam – 600 Student Science Fair (WESEF)

March 9, 2018 by The Inside Press

SCIENCE RESEARCH (STEM) PROJECTS OF MORE THAN 600 WESTCHESTER AND PUTNAM HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS SHOWCASED AT REGENERON WESEF SCIENCE & ENGINEERING FAIR

Saturday, March 17, 2018 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Sleepy Hollow High School (inside the gymnasium)

More than 600 students from 40 Westchester and Putnam county high schools will showcase their multi-year science research projects in a competitive venue at the 18Annual Regeneron – Westchester Science and Engineering Fair (WESEF) at Sleepy Hollow High School.

Participants, mostly seniors and juniors involved in their high school Science Research programs, will showcase individual and team poster presentations, which will be judged by local experts in the fields of life science, physical science, environmental studies, psychology and engineering.

Fifteen top projects will win spots at the International Science & Engineering Fair (ISEF), which is largest, international science fair in the world). ISEF will be held this May in Pittsburgh and will bring together more than 1,700 science fair winners from over 70 countries.

Nine additional projects will win a spot at the International Genius Olympiad where more than 500 students from over 60 countries whose projects have focused on sustainability in the areas of energy, environment, engineering and global health.

Sleepy Hollow High School, gymnasium: 210 North Broadway, Sleepy Hollow, NY

The Regeneron – Westchester Science and Engineering Fair, is made possible by the generous contributions of local corporations including Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Acorda Therapeutics, Entergy & Boehringer Ingelheim Cares Foundation. Additional sponsors include IBM, Westchester Academy of Medicine, Carl Zeiss Microscopy, College Admission Central, Momentive Performance Materials and others. In total, the sponsors have donated over $140,000 for this year’s event, enabling WESEF to award nearly 60 percent of all students with some form of recognition.

For more information and schedules, visit www.wesef.org.

BHHS Student Scientists Receive Several Prestigious Awards In First Quarter of 2018

March 8, 2018 by The Inside Press

Byram Hills High School (BHHS) students participating in the Dr. Robert Pavlica Authentic Science Research Program have received a record number of awards in the first quarter of 2018. Five–the most from any single Westchester County high school–were selected as scholars in the Regeneron Science Talent Search, one of the most prestigious pre-college science and math awards for high school seniors and was previously known as the Intel Science Talent Search. In addition, four BHHS students were recently selected as national finalists in the Neuroscience Research Prize awarded by the American Academy of Neuroscientists (AAN) Research Prize for high school students. One student was named a top finalist for the prize.

Regeneron Award Recipients

From the select pool of Regeneron scholars, 40 finalists will be invited to Washington, D.C. this month to participate in final judging, display their work to the public, meet with notable scientists and compete for the top award of $250,000. The five Regeneron Scholars are Alexis Aberman, Alexandra Brocato, Stella Li, Jeremy Ma and Kylie Roslin.

The goal of the Regeneron competition is to recognize the best and brightest young scientists for demonstrating exceptional scientific leadership potential. It is the result of years of study, research and dedication by the students, along with encouragement and direction from the Byram Hills School District and the Dr. Robert Pavlica Authentic Science Research Program, directed by Stephanie Greenwald.

Byram Hills Regeneron Finalists (L-R, top row): Stella Li, Jeremy Ma, Alexandra Brocato. (L-R, bottom row): Alexis Aberman, Kylie Rosl

AAN Finalists

The American Academy of Neuroscientists is the largest organization of neurologists in the country and each year the group awards 15 high school students who have completed extraordinary work exploring the world of the brain and nervous system through laboratory research. The AAN finalists from BHHS were Stella Li, Jeremy Ma, Alexandra Remnitz and Kylie Roslin. Remnitz was selected as a top national finalist and has been invited to present her project on the marine fish, Sailfin Molly, at the 70th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in Los Angeles, CA in April.

Her project determined that this hardy species did not alter their typical behavior due to increasing ocean acidification, unlike most fish. This is a novel finding demonstrating the robustness of this specific species. Remnitz is a certified scuba diver and her love of marine life and her concern for the future of our oceans was the inspiration for her study.

AAN Finalists (L-R): Kylie Roslin, Stella Li, Alexandra Remnitz and Jeremy Ma

From Student to Scientist – Greeley’s Science Research  Program Turns Out Some of the Best and the Brightest

May 27, 2014 by The Inside Press

President Obama making a speech to the 40 Intel Finalists.

By Amanda H. Cronin

The first image that may come to mind when you hear the words “science fair” is a lopsided, paper maché, volcano erupting “lava.” You know, the classic baking powder and vinegar experiment. But what is really going on at these science fairs is far more impressive and innovative.

The Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) was held at the Los Angeles Convention Center, May 11-16. Horace Greeley High School Senior Alex Kaufman was among some 1,600 high school students from around the country participating in the fair for the ultimate prize: a scholarship worth $75,000.

ISEF, the world’s largest international pre-college science competition, provides a framework for aspiring young researchers, like Alex, to showcase their independent research and compete for more than $4 million in awards. Millions of students worldwide start out competing in local and school-sponsored science fairs, and if selected, go head-to-head in the final event with peers from over 70 countries, regions and territories. At a local fair in March, Alex was named one of the top ten researchers in Westchester and Putnam counties, which qualified him to advance to the final round.

Alex is part of Horace Greeley’s Science Research program, a three-year, application-based science course that allows students to independently explore STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) topics of their own choosing, be it climate change, cancer research or molecular biology.

Science teacher Trudy Gessler leads many of the classes for the program. “We have many talented and passionate students in Science Research,” said Dr. Gessler. “Their research and experiments are all conducted under the supervision of a research scientist/mentor, sometimes in a research lab and sometimes right here on campus.”

Alex Kaufman with his poster at Intel WESEF

Alex’s interest is in the area of immunology. His project focuses on the Hepatitis B virus and constructing a special type of viral clone to function exactly like Hepatitis B, except that it causes cells to fluoresce upon infection. Alex conducted his research in the Laboratory of Virology and Infectious Disease at The Rockefeller University in New York City.

Alex’s story is not the only success story in the program. This past year, 12 students received awards for their projects at various fairs and competitions. Junior Riya Verma’s poster was given 1st place in the Category of Medicine and Health at the Junior Science and Humanities Symposium. “I have always been interested in applications of computer science in medicine, and Science Research has given me an opportunity to pursue it,” said Riya.

Anubhav Guha’s award-winning project took him to the White House. Anubhav’s research deals with extending the lifetime of dye molecules. For his research Anubhav placed as a finalist in the Intel competition and semi-finalist in the Siemens competition. He even got to shake hands with President Obama!

“I’ve always been interested in science– its really satisfying and neat to be able to fully understand a topic, or to be able to find something completely new that no one else has ever found,” said Anubhav.

Mrs. Patricia Donovan heads up Greeley’s Science department. “Science education is more important today than it has ever been. It is important to have a good science education to be competitive in today’s world. As global citizens, we all need to understand how the elements of our surroundings function so that we can make sense of the information made available to us.”

As a fellow Greeley student and new Science Researcher, I asked Alex for some advice. “You have been provided an incredible opportunity. You may come out of this research experience knowing that you want to be a scientist for the rest of your life. You could also come out of it knowing that you never want to go near a pipette again! So go into this excited about what you will learn about your field and what you will learn about yourself. There are so many fascinating fields, so search long and hard for something that absolutely captivates you– it’s definitely out there!”

Alex, Riya, and Anubhav are truly inspirational. There’s no doubt that these science research students are some of the brightest “cells” in our student body. Their findings could potentially help people in meaningful ways and influence current scientific practices. Seeing their accomplishments makes me excited to hone in on my own science topic and gain experience through interacting with professionals in the field.

Science can be very daunting and complex. But it is fascinating and extremely important for our understanding of the world and how it works. It’s thrilling to know that right here at Greeley we have some of the best and the brightest.

To find out more about ISEF and the Siemens Competition visit: https://student.societyforscience.org/intel-isef and http://www.siemens-foundation.org/en/competition.htm

Amanda H. Cronin is a freshman at Horace Greeley High School. She loves the six Fs: Food, Fashion, Football (Soccer), Friends, Family and Felines.