Long Island

Education

Joie Tyrrell

First of three in a series on the Regeneron Science Talent Search. 
The Wheatley School senior Lucy Zha will be among 40 finalists competing virtually next week for awards of up to $250,000 in the prestigious Regeneron Science Talent Search competition. 
Zha, whose school is in the East Williston district, was chosen for her research on the impact of plant-based chemicals on cancer cells. The Science Talent Search recognizes some of the brightest research minds in the country. 
Zha was mentored by SUNY Old Westbury biology professor Wei Zhu. 
The finalists were chosen from more than 1,700 applicants. The awards start at $40,000 for 10th place; each finalist already has received $25,000. Students can use the money to further their education, said Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit Regeneron and the Society for Science, which runs the competition. 
The top 10 awards will be announced during a livestreamed virtual awards ceremony on March 17.
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<h3>About Zha</h3> 
Outside the classroom, Zha likes to hike in the woods, searching for unusual rocks to collect and photograph. 
The favorite find for the 17-year-old from Albertson is gneiss, a rock that will bend and morph but not succumb to strong underground stress. As a first-generation immigrant whose parents are from China, she said she can relate to that spirit of resilience. 
Zha persevered through years of research and was challenged during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 as her school, as well as her lab at SUNY Old Westbury, shut down in the final months of her project, she said. As an elective, Zha took science research, which included entering the competition as part of the course. 
Zha's project examined how two chemicals extracted from plants could be used to treat childhood brain cancer. She performed a study to test their synergistic effect on cancer cells and on zebrafish larvae. 
"This recognition as a Regeneron finalist has made all of our school community proud," said D.J. Paulson, a science research teacher at The Wheatley School, "and we wish her the best of luck in the second part of the competition."
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<h3>Zha on her project</h3> 
My project focused on finding an effective treatment for neuroblastoma, which is one of the most common childhood brain cancers. I found that curcumin and capsaicin, two chemicals extracted from plants — the spices of turmeric and pepper — were able to stop the tumor development. However, I did find that curcumin at high concentrations can have some toxicity on hypothalamic cells, which are cells in our brain that are crucial to maintaining the equilibrium of our body. Those results combined can raise caution to the clinical feasibility of the two chemicals and signal the need for further research. 
How did you choose this topic? 
One of my very close relatives was diagnosed with thyroid cancer when I was a freshman in high school. As the only member of my family who was fluent in English at that time, I was recruited to be the only one to go to Costco and find supplements to help my relative to recover. So when I was going down the Costco aisle, I spotted curcumin on the shelf. I was surprised because turmeric would be something that usually appears in my diet. Why would it be on a medicine aisle at Costco? So I researched the chemical and found out it has some anti-cancer and neuroprotective properties, and I formulated my whole hypothesis from there and conducted my experiments. 
Did the coronavirus pandemic impact your project? 
No. The lab was closed in March, but my research results already showed that curcumin and capsaicin can reduce the cell survival rate for the cancer cells. I wanted to know why and how the chemicals were able to do that. The pandemic actually allowed me to concentrate and focus more on my research study on how to analyze my results and do background research, and eventually I was able to go back to the lab when it reopened in the summer and finish the rest of my experiments. 
How long did your project take? 
I started this project when I was 15. The whole research process took about a year. The time I spent in the lab should be about 300 hours, and outside the lab setting — in terms of the time I spent on analyzing results and doing background research and drafting the paper — that should be another 350 hours. 
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Where do you hope your research will lead? 
The intent of my research was to find an alternative to the traditional chemotherapeutic approach to treating neuroblastoma, and I hope further research can find ways to amplify the anti-cancer effects and minimize the side effects of the two chemicals — curcumin and capsaicin — of my study, which can make them better candidates for treating neuroblastoma. 
What are your other interests? 
In my free time, I like to collect rocks. I am a very avid hiker, and unlike most tourists who like to buy travel souvenirs or take photos, I like to go into the woods and collect rocks. Rocks reveal a place in history and are millions of years in the making, and I take joy in finding the geological history that rocks reveal. 
Tell us about your future plans 
I will be pursuing science research in college, possibly with an environmental science major. I have not heard anything from colleges, so I can’t really offer any information on that one. I was selected to be one of eight students to represent the U.S. at the 2020 Earth Science Olympiad. I am passionate about many urgent environmental issues in the world, such as freshwater contamination and the impact of climate change on bird migration.

liZHA210307

Albertson teen a finalist in national search for top youth scientist

Teen's research into childhood cancer earns finalist spot in national contest

Lucy Zha is one of two finalists from Long Island in the Regeneron Science Talent Search competition. 


Regeneron finalist: Lucy Zha, The Wheatley School

Oyster Bay Town

New York

Nassau

North Hempstead Town

East Williston

Jericho

Old Westbury

Albertson

Newsday

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Second of three in a series on the Regeneron Science Talent Search. 
Jericho High School senior Justin Shen will compete next week as a finalist in the Regeneron Science Talent Search, a global competition based on students' research skills, innovative thinking and promise as scientists. 
Forty finalists from more than 1,700 applicants were selected to compete virtually for awards ranging from $40,000 for 10th place to $250,000 for first. Each finalist already has received $25,000. Students can use the money toward funding their higher education, said Regeneron and the Society for Science, the nonprofit group based in Washington, D.C., that runs the competition. 
The top 10 awards will be announced during a livestreamed virtual awards ceremony March 17. 
Shen's project focused on how amino acid in green tea can reduce toxicity in water pollutants. His project examines a link between water contaminants and Parkinson's disease. He was mentored by SUNY Old Westbury biology professor Wei Zhu. 
<h3>About Shen</h3>

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As an accomplished cellist, the 17-year-old from Glen Head has played at both Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall — the latter when he was just 14. He is a nationally ranked tennis player as well, but he said his greatest passion is environmental issues. 
Shen serves as co-president of Jericho High School's Environmental Club, participated in an arctic climate research program in Canada and used a machine learning model to forecast air pollution in South Korea. 
"He is the perfect example of when you love what you do — success follows," said Serena McCalla, the Jericho district's science research coordinator. 
<h3>Shen on his project</h3> 
It investigates a water contaminant found in drinking water supplies that's linked to Parkinson's disease and how a green tea chemical — L-Theanine — may ameloriate some of the neurotoxic effects of this water contaminate, which is also linked to Parkinson's disease. So, hopefully my chemical can offer a solution to some of the communities facing drinking water pollution and hopefully curb Parkinson's disease onset. 
How did you decide on your topic? 
This topic came up when I first moved to Long Island in the fifth grade and I heard a lot of mixed rumors about whether the drinking water was safe to drink or not. This is something that stuck in the back of my mind for a little bit until I decided to pursue scientific research in high school. … I decided to research trichloroethylene, which is a water pollutant found in Long Island's drinking water and one of the contaminants leading to Long Island's drinking water pollution. When I further researched this, I realized that previous research in this field was lacking. I thought that adding my own contributions could be advantageous for the entire scientific community.
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Did the coronavirus pandemic impact your project? 
It definitely got hard during the pandemic because a lot of labs were closed and I wasn't able to go to my school as usual and consult with my friends and research teacher. The pandemic, on the other hand, gave me some time to refine my own project and take a step back and look at my previously collected data from a broader point of view, and it gave me time to review existing literature. And that also helped me a lot. 
When did you start and how much time did this take? 
I have been working on this project I'd say since toward the end of 10th grade. I don't know if I could give an exact hour count, but I spent a lot of hours — in the ballpark of 20 hours a week, at least, reviewing literature and reviewing my project as well. I used to go to a lab a lot during the summer, but, during the pandemic, I wasn't able to. But I was lucky when my school started back in September. I was able to go back into the lab for one to two weeks just to finalize my data a little bit, and I was able to collect a few more data sets that were extremely important. 
Tell us about a typical day of research. 
I collected a majority of my data during the summers. I worked with my research teacher to look within my data and make sure I am presenting it in the best way possible, which ultimately helped a lot during competitions. I wanted to make sure I was presenting it very clearly and concisely. I would stay after school to talk to my research teacher even more and go through practice presentations with my peers, as well just to see if they can catch anything in my presentation that seemed unclear. 
What do you hope your research leads to? 
I hope my research leads to solutions in areas facing contaminated drinking water. I hope it leads to other research articles that continue to investigate this issue. I still believe this issue is extremely understudied. And I think that with studies similar to mine and if people continue to research this topic, we could make tremendous strides in the coming years. 
Will you continue this field of study in the future? 
Yes, I am really interested in environmental science, and it is a field I am looking to pursue in college and possibly past college and in graduate school as well. I am looking into how the environment interacts with biology and other fields as well. 
What are your other interests? 
I play a lot of tennis — that is my number one hobby. I like playing tennis with my friends and competitively. I am co-president of my school's environmental club and through that we raised a lot of awareness … and [sent] outreach groups to our elementary and middle schools. And I have done nonprofit work in the field of environmental activism to raise awareness for global water issues through social media. 
Do you have advice for younger scientists? 
I think the biggest advice is to persevere because at first the research may seem daunting because you are reading a lot of graduate-level articles that seem extremely complex. But the most important thing is to persevere through the initial period, and know it gets a lot better as you keep going.

liSHEN210307

Jericho's Justin Shen is finalist in national science competition

LI student advances to national finals with research into drinking water

Justin Shen, of Glen Head, is among the 40 finalists in the Regeneron Science Talent Search competition. He spoke to Newsday, explaining the inspiration behind his project.


Justin Shen: finalist in Regeneron Science Talent Search

Brookville

Old Brookville

Glen Head

Upper Brookville

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Last of three in a series on the Regeneron Science Talent Search. 
One former finalist is now a professor specializing in conservation biology. Another is a college senior studying chemical engineering who mentors young scientists. And another is a successful playwright whose scientific background influenced his career. 
The three ex-Long Island high school students recalled what their participation in the former Intel and now-Regeneron Science Talent Search competition meant to them — and discussed what they're doing today. 
Long Island is represented each year in the nation's best-known science competition, which began in 1942. Two Nassau County seniors will compete next week. 
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., a biopharmaceutical firm based in Tarrytown, has funded the contest since 2016. The contest has been run continuously by the Society for Science, a nonprofit based in Washington, D.C., and prior finalists include several Nobel Prize winners and other notable scientists. 
<h3>Alexis M. Mychajliw</h3>

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Mychajliw, the ninth-place finisher in the 2008 competition sponsored then by Intel Corp., is an assistant professor in biology and environmental studies at Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont. As a senior at Paul D. Schreiber High School in Port Washington, her project focused on the impact of habitat loss and wetland development on dragonfly populations. She won a $20,000 scholarship and used it to attend Cornell University. 
The science competition was "an excuse to spend time outside collecting data, and those experiences really stuck with me," said Mychajliw, 29, who specializes in conservation biology at Middlebury. "Participating gave me the confidence to keep going in science."<a data-onecms-id="contentid/storywidget.1.50177625" data-onecms-type="storywidget" href="#/content/contentid/storywidget.1.50177625">Story Widget Link</a>
 
After high school, Mychajliw became more aware of the strong foundation in science research at Long Island schools. So, while a postdoctoral research fellow in Los Angeles at the La Brea tar pits, she started a science fair mentorship program for local high school girls at the museum. Her students won some local awards, but Mychajliw said more importantly they experienced "exposure to research and science and support for college apps rather than winning itself." 
"The biggest lesson was to really think about who has access to careers in science. Because participating in high school research for me was so important, it made me question why we are not supporting other students like this, and how I could use my own position to help," she said. 
<h3>Archana Verma</h3>

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Verma, 21, is a senior at Stanford University, where she is studying chemical engineering — a field that led her to become a Regeneron finalist when she was a senior at Jericho High School. 
Verma placed fifth in the competition in 2017, earning a $90,000 scholarship prize. She studied molecules similar to those used in solar cell dyes to look for more efficient types that can be used in windows that generate solar energy. 
She was new to Jericho when she started her project, having moved there in 10th grade. She credited her Advanced Placement chemistry teacher, John Cicale, with helping her join the three-year research project class and supporting her throughout her journey. 
"I didn’t expect to win. I had no vision of myself being one of the finalists, but Dr. Serena McCalla [the district’s research coordinator] believed in me and told me, ‘It’s yours to lose,’ " she said.<a data-onecms-id="contentid/storywidget.1.50177627" data-onecms-type="storywidget" href="#/content/contentid/storywidget.1.50177627">Story Widget Link</a>
 
She’s worked in research labs at Georgia Tech, New York University and Stanford, and has applied for Ph.D. programs. Verma also interned at Regeneron the summer after the Science Talent Search finals. She now serves as a mentor to other young people — especially women — who are interested in the STEM field. 
Being a finalist was "a super transformative experience," she said, recalling her time in Washington among the other finalists. "I remember leaving D.C. and being so inspired by the finalists, the judges, and Regeneron, and I felt really valued … when hard work and curiosity were rewarded." 
<h3>Jerry Lieblich</h3>

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Lieblich, 32, is a writer from Brooklyn who operates his own theater company, Third Ear. He was a fifth-place finisher, earning a $25,000 scholarship in 2006 while a student at Ward Melville High School in East Setauket. His project focused on a cognitive psychology study built around an audiovisual illusion called the McGurk effect. 
He uses the lessons he learned as a finalist in his career now as a writer of plays and poems. His work has appeared in New York and Massachusetts in theaters and festivals. He has won several creative writing awards. 
"Though the methods of inquiry I now use (plays and poems) are different, the questions I'm asking in my work now (about how the mind works, how language works, how consciousness is formed) are the same questions I was asking as a teenager," he said in a written response.<a data-onecms-id="contentid/storywidget.1.50177629" data-onecms-type="storywidget" href="#/content/contentid/storywidget.1.50177629">Story Widget Link</a>
 
Lieblich was a finalist when the competition was sponsored by Intel Corp., a California-based maker of computer chips. He has a master's in fine arts from Brooklyn College and a bachelor's from Yale University, where he majored in philosophy. 
"If anything, being an Intel finalist taught me there are deep rewards to following the pull of curiosity," he said. "I think being a finalist helped me realize that my interest in consciousness is legitimate, and worth pursuing, with whatever tools (plays, poems, experiments) are handy."

liEXFINALISTS210307

Catching up with 3 former LI science contest finalists

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What a fitting year for Long Island to boast so many award-winning young scientists. 
More than 40 Long Island high schoolers were announced as Regeneron Science Talent Search scholars earlier this month, a bumper crop even in a region whose school districts often reach similar heights. 
These talented students were among the top 300 scholars identified by the prestigious science and math competition, whose finalists will be announced later this week. Their projects dove into all corners of human knowledge, experience and curiosity, from Parkinson’s disease to the connection between diet and cancer, disparities in student discipline, and even the coronavirus pandemic. 
The pandemic provided unique challenges for the high school seniors. They had to meet their advisers over Zoom and work out complex challenges by phone. It was no longer possible to share space in fully outfitted laboratories or do the kind of in-person mentoring that makes even difficult concepts understandable with time. 
"I had to build a lab in my basement," Julia Levine, 17, told Newsday. The John F. Kennedy High School student needed a type of insect for her research that had to be special-ordered Levine’s way. 
Semir Beyaz, a principal investigator at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and mentor of Jericho High School’s Vyom Shah, 17, said one complication was getting his mentee access to computer servers. But Beyaz says the scholar was able to nimbly troubleshoot, "also an essential part of becoming a scientist." 
That’s a good lesson for science and for living this year. 
The importance of good science and able scientists has been thrown into stark relief by the pandemic. We know the value of dedicated professionals and investigators — including those right here in Long Island’s research facilities — who are contributing to the unprecedented development of multiple vaccines against COVID-19. 
That kind of achievement takes political and economic support, brilliance, and hardworking practitioners to get the science right. The Regeneron Science Talent Search, nee Westinghouse and dating to 1942, has alumni who are capable of those kinds of breakthroughs — 13 Nobel Prize and 2 Fields Medals winners — as well as many other scientists whose work is essential even if their names are less known. 
We know that the Regeneron scholars and all the budding scientists in Long Island classrooms will be part of future discoveries and miracles. 
We also know that they will be crucial ambassadors for science to the public at large, carrying messages of shared facts and the value of trust in the scientific process, working with all the tools of technology and experimentation to make the world a better and more understandable place. 
— The editorial board

Opinion

Editorials

VPSCIENCE210119

Regeneron scholars are essential scientists

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Two Nassau County high school students were among the 40 chosen as finalists Thursday in the Regeneron Science Talent Search, a prestigious competition that recognizes some of the brightest research minds in the country. 
Lucy Zha, 17, of The Wheatley School in the East Williston district, was honored for her research on the impact of plant-based chemicals on cancer cells. Justin Shen, 17, of Jericho High School, focused on how amino acid in green tea can reduce toxicity in water pollutants. 
The seniors, chosen from more than 1,700 applications, will compete in March with other finalists for the more than $1.8 million in awards being given by Regeneron, a pharmaceuticals company based in Tarrytown. The finalists were announced Thursday. 
Zha studied the potential of the plant-based chemicals curcumin and capsaicin on neuroblastoma cells, as well as their effects on hypothalamic cells. 
"Lucy is a remarkable student with a remarkable story, and what she has added to our school in terms of scientific abilities and enthusiasm and service has been absolutely wonderful," Wheatley School Principal Sean Feeney said. "We are very proud of her." 
Zha chose her topic after a close relative was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. She was the only member of her family who spoke English, so she shopped for medicine for her relative — and noticed curcumin, a natural anti-inflammatory compound, on the store shelf. She said she was surprised to see it with Western medicine and decided to further study the plant-based chemicals. Her research examined not only the impact on cancer cells, but side effects, too. 
"I wanted to emphasize that we must look at these two drugs holistically and look at both sides — not just the beneficial sides," she said. 
Zha was mentored at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst for the start of her research and finished at a lab at SUNY Old Westbury. That lab was closed for a few months due to the coronavirus pandemic, but reopened and she was able to complete her work. She plans to pursue a career in environmental science and public health. 
Both Zha and Shen shared the same mentor: professor Wei Zhu at SUNY Old Westbury. 
Shen conducted research showing that L-Theanine, an amino acid found in green tea, reduced the toxicity of trichloroethylene on neurons. Trichloroethylene is a common industrial water pollutant that can be found in many communities’ drinking water and has been shown to be a potential cause of Parkinson’s disease. 
"When I first moved to Long Island in the fifth grade, I was surprised to hear a lot of rumors about water pollution, and that made me question what I was drinking every day," Shen said. He is a full-remote student at the school and said he found time during the pandemic to improve his project. 
"It gave me a lot of time to refine my existing data," he said. 
Shen also is a concert cellist who has performed at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall in New York City, and is a nationally ranked tennis player. He plans to pursue a career in scientific research. 
The students said they have not decided where they will attend college. They were among 41 Long Island scholars honored by Regeneron earlier this month. 
The finalists were selected from 1,760 applications received from 611 high schools across 45 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and 10 countries. They were chosen based on their research skills, academics, innovative thinking and promise as scientists, according to Regeneron. 
The finalists will compete virtually March 10-17 for prize money. The top 10 awards, which will be announced during a livestreamed virtual awards ceremony on March 17, range from $40,000 to $250,000. Each finalist automatically receives $25,000. 
In 2020, four Nassau County seniors were named finalists, including Katherine St George of John F. Kennedy High School, who placed sixth in the competition in July. She won an $80,000 prize for her study on the impact of diet and caffeine on seizures in fruit flies. 
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. has funded the contest since 2016, and has doubled the annual prize money. The first competition was in 1942.

liREGEN210122

Two Nassau students named finalists in Regeneron science competition

Two Nassau students named finalists in Regeneron competition

Two Nassau County high school students were among the 40 chosen as finalists Thursday in the Regeneron Science Talent Search, Newsday's Steve Langford has more. 


Westbury

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More than 40 Long Island high school seniors from public and private schools were honored Thursday as Regeneron Science Talent Search scholars, lauded by educators for overcoming obstacles such as closed labs and schools due to the pandemic. 
Forced to adapt to remote learning, teachers mailed equipment so projects could be finished at home and spent hours on Zoom and other platforms to guide students. Some mentors even hand-delivered supplies to students. 
"The students had to immediately find new ways to complete their work when their laboratories closed, and they were dealing with social and political unrest and the fear that the pandemic was creeping into their families," said Serena McCalla, science research coordinator for the Jericho school district. "With most of them being remote, they were unable to have that one-to-one communication. … It has been an unprecedented year." 
Five Nassau systems had multiple scholars, including five students each from John F. Kennedy High School in Bellmore and Syosset High School, and four each from Jericho High School, Manhasset High School and The Wheatley School in Old Westbury. Topics covered by scholars included studies on Parkinson's disease, the coronavirus, sea anemones and student discipline. 
There were 36 Long Island scholars last year and 41 this year, including those from several Suffolk districts, including Brentwood, Central Islip and Elwood. 
The scholars were selected from 1,760 applications received from 611 high schools across 45 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and 10 countries. They were chosen based on their research skills, academics, innovative thinking and promise as scientists, according to Regeneron. 
On Jan. 21, 40 of the 300 scholars nationwide will be named finalists. From March 10 to 17, the finalists will compete for more than $1.8 million in awards provided by Regeneron, a pharmaceuticals company based in Tarrytown. 
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Regeneron scholars typically spent weeks or months in university laboratories, working closely with faculty. Projects often take more than one year. 
Vyom Shah, 17, of Jericho, was going to the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory for research with his mentor, Dr. Semir Beyaz, until the pandemic forced him to work from home. 
"I was a bit sad I couldn’t continue my research," said Shah, who derived computational methods on a home computer to complete his work. His work was inspired by his mother, Mital, who had a breast cancer scare when he was in the eighth grade. She initially was misdiagnosed. 
"Being scared for her and all that anxiety, I started to look at cancer biology," Shah said. 
Shah's project focused on the connection between diet and cancer and how some fatty acids found in red meat could increase the likelihood of intestinal cancer. He hopes his research could pave the way for new therapeutic targets to treat cancer. 
Alison Huenger, science research director at Manhasset High School, ordered equipment for students and had it shipped to their homes. 
"They initially had mentors lined up. Those internships had fallen through, and we went from Plan A to Plan B to Plan M," she said. "It was heart-wrenching to see so many opportunities taken away, but even in the midst of that we were able to regroup and think of a new plan." 
At John F. Kennedy High School in Bellmore, Jordyn Krinsky, 17, and Julia Levine, 17, both needed a specific strain of fruit fly for their separate projects. Both were mentored by biology professor Theodore Brummel at LIU Post, who special-ordered the insects and made sure the students received them. 
"I had to build a lab in my basement," said Levine, whose project looked at the impact of dietary alterations on celiac disease. 
Elmont Memorial High School science research teacher Michelle Flannory, whose student Christopher Alexander was named a scholar, said she was "really proud of Christopher and all of my student researchers who persevered through such a difficult time." 
Alexander, 17, completed a project that studied how viruses can be used to target cancer cells, as well as draw immune systems to attack these cells. He was impacted by close relatives who had suffered from cancer. 
"I really got involved not only to help cancer patients and eliminate or decrease the amount of cancer deaths, but also to provide a more comfortable way of treating cancer," he said. 
Isabella Souza, 17, of Syosset High School, has a passion for law and emerging technologies, and participated in the mock trial team. That led to her project, which examined the impact of functional magnetic resonance imaging evidence on juror satisfaction and verdicts. 
By focusing on a social science, Souza said she felt "incredibly fortunate" as some of her classmates scrambled to replicate their laboratory work during the pandemic. She said she spent hours with her teachers on Google Meets. 
"None of us could have predicted this, and the shock in general threw us off, but I am really happy I could continue working," she said. 
In last year's virtual competition, Katherine St George, of John F. Kennedy High School, placed in the top 10 of the national competition in July after being named one of the Long Island scholars. She won an $80,000 prize and came in sixth for her study on the impact of diet and caffeine on seizures in fruit flies. 
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. has funded the contest since 2016, and has doubled the annual prize money. The first competition was in 1942. While funding sources have changed over the years, the contest has been run continuously by the Society for Science, a nonprofit group based in Washington, D.C. <a data-onecms-id="contentid/storywidget.1.50113476" data-onecms-type="storywidget" href="#/content/contentid/storywidget.1.50113476">Story Widget Link</a>

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Long Island has 41 scholars in Regeneron science competition

Long Island has 41 scholars in Regeneron science competition

Five students from John F. Kennedy High School in Bellmore talk about their research on Thursday, after finding out that they are Regeneron Science Talent Search semifinalists.


Five Regeneron semifinalists at JFK High School in Bellmore

5 Regeneron semifinalists at JFK High School

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Long Island's Regeneron Scholars

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The Island Harvest Summer Food Service program started this week to provide meals for children in low-income areas. The program operates the first day after school ends in June and runs until school begins.

Free children's food program available through summer

Long Island students and the police commissioners of Nassau and Suffolk counties discuss school safety and the response to threats.

What's being done about threats of violence made at LI schools?

The twins have been together from preschool through high school and graduated with a ceremony on Saturday. Newsday TV's Steve Langford reports. 

Meet the 5 sets of twins who have been in school together for 14 years

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who attended Hempstead schools. surprised Daniella Marroquin, Hempstead High School valedictorian, with a phone call, offering her congratulations and words of wisdom. Newsday TV's Cecilia Dowd reports.

White House Press Secretary surprises Hempstead valedictorian

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Congress passed the $3 billion Keep Kids Fed Act on June 24, as a free food program that had been authorized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture was scheduled to expire.

Free food program extended through summer

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In the decade since high school, Long Island's 2012 valedictorians changed careers, pursued passions, learned a lot — and one has even practiced magic on the side. Here's what 29 of them have been up to.

10 years ago, they were valedictorians. Where are they now?

In 1982 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Steven Pico, who as an Island Trees High School senior in 1976, sued his board of education after it removed 11 books from the school libraries.

LI student won battle against book ban — 40 years ago

The twins, who have known each other since preschool, were among 109 in their graduating class.

5 sets of twins graduate from tiny Mattituck High

Joan Belilos also was a grandmother who went above and beyond for her family.

Former Hewlett High School teacher dies at 87

The latest polling results Tuesday night meant that all 124 districts on Long Island would go into the 2022-23 school year with spending plans passed. Fiscal years begin July 1.

West Hempstead school budget passes on second vote

Julien Brathwaite, Westbury High School's 2012 valedictorian, went to the University of Michigan to study electrical engineering. While there, he pivoted career paths and now works at Apple, living in Oakland, California.

2012 valedictorian's pivoting interests led him to Apple

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Military mom surprises daughter at school 

Seniors from Syosset High School got together to decorate their caps for graduation by putting their college logos on for all to see.

Syosset graduates decorate their grad caps in creative ways

Islip High School senior Mollie Sebor set out to research the town's little-known Jewish history. Now, her endeavor will help serve as the foundation for future research, the town's historian said.

Islip High School senior uncovers town's Jewish history

Giants players Cam Brown and Matt Peart visited students at Barack Obama Elementary School in Hempstead on Friday. 

Giants players visit students at Hempstead school 

"People who are worth having in your life will accept you for who you are," said Julianna Lester. See what else Newsday's Extraordinary Seniors had to say to next year's graduating class.

'Be authentically yourself': Advice from Newsday's Extraordinary Seniors

ENL students in the Port Washington Union Free School District wrote letters to the class of 2072 and created videos that on Tuesday were buried in a time capsule located at Paul D. Schreiber Senior High School in Port Washington.

Port Washington ENL students bury a time capsule for the class of 2072

The winner of the Long Island Spelling Bee, Safiullah Sajid, a student at Locust Valley Middle School, is on his way to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington.

Locust Valley Middle School student going to national spelling bee

In addition to existing school safetly initiatives, including the RAVE Mobile App and the S.H.A.R.E program, Suffolk County officials on Friday announced they will soon begin mobilization drills to make sure they are prepared to respond quickly in the event of an active shooter situation. 

Suffolk officials announce drills to respond to active shooter situation

Students at Wyandanch Memorial High School show off the images they created for the school's photography program. The club, which started in January and met on Fridays, is taught by Al Bello, a Getty Images photographer.

Getty Images photographer Al Bello hosts program at Wyandanch Memorial High School

Students at Plainview-Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy High School held a walkout Wednesday in honor of the 21 victims killed last week at an elementary school in Texas.

Plainview high school students hold walkout to end gun violence 

A Long Island school administrator and teacher spoke about how to talk to staff and students following the shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. A Freeport High School freshman spoke about discussions in her classroom.

Talking to school staff, students about Texas shooting

Following the mass shooting at a Texas elementary school, some LIers said they want to see stricter gun laws and increased security at schools. Cecilia Dowd reports.

Do LIers want stricter gun laws?

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