Smithtown team gets grant to work on solar device

A 12-student team from Smithtown High School West has powered its way to the national stage with an invention idea for a compact, affordable and portable solar tracker, a device that would adjust the angles of solar panels to maximize the amount of sunlight they absorb.

Smithtown is one of 14 "InvenTeams" nationwide to receive a grant of up to $10,000 through the 2011 Lemelson-MIT Program, an initiative that encourages teens to invent solutions to real-world problems. The goal is to inspire careers in science and math.

The team will spend the remainder of the school year using the funds to make a working prototype and then showcase their project in EurekaFest at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology campus in June.

"This is the most creative, positive, upbeat group of students that I've ever seen," said Joanne Figueiredo, the school's science research coordinator. "They're synergistic."

Junior Michael Emerson came up with the idea for a solar tracker last school year, Figueiredo said. The solar tracker would use two pivots to "more accurately track the sun," he said, while charging a 12-volt battery, which could be helpful in undeveloped countries.

"Most people in those countries have small technology like cell phones but don't have the means to charge it without traveling for many miles," he said.

Others on the team are Paige Buzard, Sarah Cacciabaudo, Allie Cohen, Dan Cykman, Ryan Gruber, Eric Guleksen, Tyler Lawrence, Emily Mancini, Neema Patel, Amy Sullivan and Tyler TerBush.

CENTRAL ISLIP

A 'Kick Start' on jobs

Central Islip High School has launched a job-guidance pilot program of career counseling, referral services and tours of Suffolk County government offices. A kickoff ceremony was held last month at the school.

The "Kick Start" initiative is an outgrowth of the work being done in the Central Islip and Brentwood communities to provide youngsters with alternatives to drugs and violence, county officials said. It will use existing staff from county departments. A program is also in the works at Bellport High School.

HAUPPAUGE

$32,000 raised

Hauppauge School District raised more than $32,000 last month through a Kicks for Cancer event in honor of Courtney Tomkin, a student who died of breast cancer in 2008.

The third-annual event was held in conjunction with games played by the boys and girls soccer teams. Hauppauge athletes wore pink jerseys with a quote attributed to Tomkin: "Fight on the field just as hard as I'm fighting cancer."

Funds were raised via community donations, raffles and T-shirt sales and benefited the Making Headway Foundation, American Cancer Society, Make-A-Wish Foundation and American Lung Association.

PATCHOGUE

History teacher honored

Will Carpluk, a social studies teacher at Patchogue-Medford High School, has been named 2010-11 New York State American History Teacher of the Year by the History Channel, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History in Manhattan and Preserve America, a White House initiative that aims to preserve U.S. heritage.

Teachers were judged based on creativity in the classroom and use of primary documents, artifacts and historic sites. Carpluk received a $1,000 prize.

COUNTYWIDE

Embracing differences

Thirteen Suffolk County students were among 28 local artists featured last month in the fourth-annual "Embracing Our Differences" exhibit at the Suffolk Center on the Holocaust, Diversity & Human Understanding in Selden. The exhibit explored the struggles and joys of living in a diverse community. The student-artists were:

Cold Spring Harbor: Courtney Burke, Sommer Dougherty and Kelsey Jones of Cold Spring Harbor High School; Commack: Binoy Daniel, Rebecca Hedrick, Carly Joos, Meghan Kennedy and Jim Triolo of Commack Middle School; Melville: Maegan Morris of West Hollow Middle School; Moriches: Cameryn Graziano of Moriches Elementary School; Patchogue: Helaina Judge and Brian Molina of South Ocean Middle School; Stony Brook: Zoe Klipstein of W.S. Mount Elementary School.

ISLANDWIDE

Siemens semifinalists

Thirty-nine Long Island students were among 312 semifinalists named last month in the Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology, a research contest administered by the College Board that awards college scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $100,000 in individual and team categories. Eight other students advanced to the regional finals. Suffolk County's 12 semifinalists were:

Brentwood: Samantha Garvey and Vivian Vuong of Brentwood High School; Commack: Erica Portnoy and Arpon Raksit of Commack High School; Dix Hills: Alexandra Nemeth of Half Hollow Hills High School East; Dianna Hu and Gupreet Singh of Half Hollow Hills High School West; Huntington: Juliana Coraor and Holly Flores of Huntington High School; Northport: Lucas Hoffman of Northport High School; Smithtown: Angelina Seffens of Smithtown High School West; West Sayville: Neha Kinariwalla of Sayville High School.