Murphy team ranks fifth at National Science Bowl

A team from R.C. Murphy Junior High School in Stony Brook finished fifth nationwide last month at the National Science Bowl in Washington, D.C.

Thirty-seven teams competed in the fast-paced question-and-answer tournament designed to test science and math knowledge. The Murphy team won $1,000 for the school's science department.

To reach the nationals, the Murphy students finished first against 20 teams from 13 Long Island middle schools in the Regional Middle School Science Bowl held at Brookhaven National Laboratory in March. It was the second consecutive year the school won the regionals.

"The team worked hard this year," said eighth-grader and team captain Akilesh Tangella. "I actually thought we had a good chance to go all the way."

At the nationals the team vied in six round-robin matches, two tiebreakers and five double-elimination matches before being eliminated by Marshall Middle School of Wexford, Pa. Matches consisted of two 10-minute rounds with four- and 10-point questions, Tangella said.

Other team members were Harrison Li, Daniel Redlinger, Raymond Yin and Felix Wang.

"This team had the competitiveness," said Murphy science chairman, Patrick McManus. "They really wanted to win."

DIX HILLSNextGen scholarsMatt Miecnikowski of Half Hollow Hills High School East in Dix Hills was among five winners of 2010 NextGen Engineering scholarships worth $10,000 over four years from the Northrop Grumman Corp.

He was selected from 119 applicants living in areas where the company's aerospace systems sector has major facilities.

EAST NORTHPORTFood Day essaysTrinity Regional School second-grader Anthony Katusa and eighth-grader Gina D'Angelo were named first-place winners of their age groups last month in the 22nd Annual World Food Day Essay Contest coordinated by Amityville-based nonprofit Stop World Hunger. Some 2,400 entries were received from 73 tri-state area schools.

Other Suffolk County students finishing in the top three of various divisions were Max Crean of St. Joseph's School in Ronkonkoma, Richelle Leigh Inzeo of William Paca Middle School in Mastic Beach, Anna Marchesi of Trinity Regional School and Matt Roxburgh of St. Patrick School in Smithtown.

HAUPPAUGEBenefit baseball for a cure

Hauppauge School District helped raise more than $20,000 for cancer and muscular dystrophy research last month through Turning 2 for a Cure, a fundraiser held in memory of Courtney Tomkin and Allison Trunz, two Hauppauge students who died of brain cancer in 2008 and 1997, respectively.

The event, which included a baseball game, barbecue and raffles, also recognized Nick Sicoli, a sixth-grader at Hauppauge Middle School who has muscular dystrophy.

Proceeds benefited the nonprofits Making Headway Foundation and Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy.

KINGS PARKEducator of distinctionPaul Lang, a physics teacher at Kings Park High School, was among 14 teachers statewide named 2010 educators of distinction by the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation for "providing education with an enhanced purpose." Teachers were nominated by high school seniors selected as 2010 Coca-Cola Scholars.

COUNTYWIDEMusic award winnersSix local students have won Elizabeth Brockman Awards in Music for performances given at the 6th Annual Master Class coordinated by the Playhouse Project in East Hampton.

Kyra Christopher of Pierson High School in Sag Harbor and Maxfield Panish of East Hampton High School won $1,000 Excellence and Promise awards, respectively.

Winners of merit awards of $250 were Chris Beroes-Haigis of Pierson High School, Davis King of Southampton High School, Devon T. Leaver of Ross School in East Hampton and Hannah Riley of East Hampton High School.

ISLANDWIDEScience Congress prizes

Five Long Island students were named grand-prize winners earlier this month at the Science Teachers Association of New York State 2010 Science Congress, a competition in Albany that allows junior and senior high students to present original research. Pooja Rambhia of Jericho High School won a gold medal and $1,000; Clare Sweeny of Long Beach Middle School, a gold medal and $500; Arianne Papa and Jane Smyth of Long Beach High School, silver medals and $500, and Ganesh Ravichandran of W. Tresper Clarke Middle School in Westbury, a bronze medal and $100.

Suffolk County students who advanced to the state level based on performance at the Long Island Science Congress in Garden City include: Andrew Franco of Brentwood High School; Rebecca Alford of Commack High School; Jameson Latko,Jonathan Mozoon and Kabir Zafar of Stimson Middle School in Huntington Station; Syndi Barish,Eric Parigoris and Shannon Wetzler of Kings Park High School; Christi Dawydiak of Westhampton Beach High School, and Alexandra Foote of West Islip High School.