Suffolk School Notebook: Long Island winners in health science competition
Suchir Misra of Jericho High School was named a first-place winner in this year's Neurological Surgery P.C. Health Science Competition. Credit: Center for Science Teaching and Learning
Five Long Island students were first-place winners in a local health science competition that awarded $82,000 in prize money.
The 2nd Annual Neurological Surgery P.C. Health Science Competition attracted more than 280 students from 37 high schools across the Island. It was held virtually this year because of to the coronavirus outbreak.
Participants created websites featuring presentations of their research, experimentation and testing — along with videos explaining their work — in one of five categories: behavioral sciences, biology (medicine/health), biology (microbiology/genetics), health-related biochemistry/biophysics, and bioengineering and computational biology.
First-place winners and their high schools were: Anushka Gupta, Great Neck North; Suchir Misra, Jericho; Tiffany Guo, Paul D. Schreiber; Lianna Friedman, Roslyn; and Chelsea Pan, Ward Melville. First-place projects won $5,500.
Second-place winners were: Alice Chen, Jericho; Mary Sotiryadis, North Shore; Yonatan Khakshoor and Menachem Rabizadeh, North Shore Hebrew Academy; and Alida Pahlevan, Jacob Ramsey and William Xu, Roslyn. Second-place projects won $4,000.
Third-place winners were: Emily Gan, Fahad Karim and Marguerite Li, Jericho; Keaton Danseglio, North Shore; and Kreena Totala, Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK. Third-place projects won $3,000.
The competition was managed by the Rockville Centre-based Center for Science Teaching and Learning.
Anushka Gupta of Great Neck North High School was named a first-place winner in this year's Neurological Surgery P.C. Health Science Competition. Credit: Center for Science Teaching and Learning
COMMACK
Glammy Scholarship
Commack High School senior Alexandra Ramotar is one of five teens nationwide to win a Glammy Scholarship Award, valued at $1,000, from the GlamourGals Foundation, which strives to inspire and organize teens to combat elder isolation through makeovers and manicures for senior citizens.
Ramotar has held the positions of secretary, vice president and president of her school's GlamourGals Chapter. She is also credited with leading her chapter's volunteers through service efforts at the Gurwin Jewish Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Commack and the Martin Luther Terrace Apartments in Kings Park, as well as through the filming of her chapter for an episode of BYUtv's "Making Good" show.
Ramotar was presented with the award at the 16th Annual Glammy Scholarship Awards, which was held virtually on May 30.
COUNTYWIDE
History Day
Seven Suffolk County students placed first or second in their categories at the New York History Day Contest, held virtually after being initially canceled because of the coronavirus outbreak, and advanced last month to the National History Day Contest. None placed at the national level.
Chelsea Pan of Ward Melville High School in East Setauket was named a first-place winner in this year's Neurological Surgery P.C. Health Science Competition. Credit: Center for Science Teaching and Learning
Suffolk students who advanced to the national level and their school districts were: Isabella Calvao, Teresa Deasy and Varsha Saravanan, Hauppauge; Talia Addeo, Laurel Bonn and McKenna Buffa, Huntington; and Carly Mulroy, Shoreham-Wading River.
This year's contest asked students to research topics of their choice on the theme "Breaking Barriers in History" and submit individual or group entries in one of five categories: documentary, exhibit, paper, performance or website.
COUNTYWIDE
BNL science fair
Seven Suffolk County students were named first-place winners of their grade levels in Brookhaven National Laboratory's 2020 Elementary Science Fair, held virtually this year because of the coronavirus outbreak.
Winners and their schools were: Jude Roseto, a kindergartner at Cutchogue East Elementary School; Emerson Spooner, a first-grader at Raynor Country Day School in Westhampton; Sara Jain, a second-grader at Tamarac Elementary School in Holtsville; Mia Trani, a third-grader at Fort Salonga Elementary School; Rebecca Bartha, a fourth-grader at Raynor Country Day School; Reilly Riviallo, a fifth-grader at Cherry Avenue Elementary School in West Sayville; and Emma Tjersland, a sixth-grader at Hauppauge Middle School.
— MICHAEL R. EBERT
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.
