Way to Go: Tyler Bissoondial, Bellmore

Tyler Bissoondial recently used a microscope and a wig to help him win big.

The second-grader at Charles A. Reinhard Early Childhood Center in Bellmore was a 2012 grand-prize winner in a video contest coordinated by tech company Samsung that invited students to create three-minute videos portraying their favorite historical character.

In his video, Tyler wore a wavy gray wig to depict Anton van Leeuwenhoek, who is best known for his contributions to microbiology. Several hundred videos were entered nationwide.

"I was very surprised to win," said Tyler, 7. Of van Leeuwenhoek, he said: "I really like doing science, and he used simple microscopes. He was the first to see microorganisms."

For winning, Tyler received $500, which he donated to his school, and a SAMCAM 760 camera for his school. He also was honored last month with a certificate of achievement from Bellmore Union Free School District's board of education.

Tyler previously had entered the contest and was among 10 national finalists for a video in which he depicted Carl Linnaeus, who is considered the father of modern taxonomy.

Judging was based on presentation performance, character, content accuracy and quality.--