18 Long Island students capture Intel science fair honors
Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK High School senior Jordyn Schor, right, won $1,000 in the Intel International Science & Engineering Fair in Phoenix in the behavioral and social science category. She is pictured with fellow student Dara Gleeson, who also competed. Credit: Plainview-Old Bethpage Central School District
Eighteen Long Island students were among winners of various awards last month at the Intel International Science & Engineering Fair in Phoenix.
The fair, administered by the Society for Science & the Public in partnership with the Intel Foundation, drew more than 1,700 high schoolers from 77 countries to compete for some $4 million in prizes. To be eligible, teens first competed in 419 affiliate fairs at state or regional levels — such as the Long Island Science & Engineering Fair, which was held over two rounds in February and March.
“This international science and engineering exhibition is an excellent example of what can be achieved when students from different backgrounds, perspectives and geographies come together to share ideas and solutions,” said foundation president Rosalind Hudnell.
Winners were: Jared Bergen, Sayville High School; Lee Blackburn, Lawrence High School; Alexis D’Alessandro, Half Hollow Hills High School West in Dix Hills; Miriam Eisenberg, North Shore Hebrew Academy High School in Great Neck; Mohamed Ehab El-Abtah and Sarah Lee, Syosset High School; Cassandra Grello, Half Hollow Hills High School East in Dix Hills; Grace Hu, Jessica Huang, Justin Kim and Archana Verma, Jericho High School; Rachel Mashal, John F. Kennedy High School in Bellmore; Matthew Perkins and Ariel Slepyan, George W. Hewlett High School; Mehtaab Sawhney, Commack High School; Jordyn Schor, Plainview-Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy High School; Kameron Sedigh, Kings Park High School; Kimberly Te, Manhasset High School.
FREEPORT
YouthSAFE Contest
Darwing Mendez, a junior at Freeport High School and student at Nassau BOCES’s Joseph M. Barry Career & Technical Education Center in Westbury, took first place in the New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health’s 2016 YouthSAFE Poster Contest.
The contest challenged participants to develop a slogan or message to explain how people can keep workplaces safer and communicate that message via a colorful poster. Mendez’s illustration included facts about youth workplace injuries and images of injuries occurring at a zoo, factory and skyscraper.
For winning, Mendez earned $300 and his poster will be sent to schools statewide. His Nassau BOCES digital design teacher Doris Aresta won $100.
OLD BROOKVILLE
Rocketry Challenge
A team from the Green Vale School placed 34th overall — the highest ranking team of any Long Island school — in the fifth annual Team America Rocketry Challenge’s National Finals. The event was sponsored by the Aerospace Industries Association and the National Association of Rocketry.
This year’s contest challenged students to design, build and fly a rocket carrying two raw eggs to an altitude of 850 feet and return them to the ground uncracked within 44 to 46 seconds. Based on local qualifying flights, the top 100 teams were invited to the nationals last month in Washington, D.C.
In addition, Green Vale science teacher Peter Zaloom was designated as the challenge’s “Outstanding Team Advisor.”
COUNTYWIDE
Bullying essay contest
Three Nassau County students were winners in an essay contest that challenged participants to address the following: “Why autistic and developmentally disabled individuals become targets of bullies, and how can my school and community prevent it?” The contest was open to students in grades 9 to 12 throughout Nassau, Suffolk and Queens counties.
First place went to Ryan Harvey of Village School in Great Neck, second place went to Aleta Thomas of Herricks High School, and third place went to Izzy Glennon of North Shore High School in Glen Head. They were awarded $3,000, $2,000 and $1,000, respectively.
The contest, which received 148 entries, was sponsored by Life’s WORC, the Family Center for Autism, Schneps Communications and the Claire Friedlander Family Foundation.
Michael R. Ebert is an education researcher and has worked for Newsday in various capacities since 2003. He was part of an 11-person team named as 2008 Pulitzer Prize finalists for investigative coverage of the LIRR's platform safety issues.
