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Syosset honors six Regeneron scholars as students present research
Summary
Six Syosset High School students were recognized as Regeneron Science Talent Search scholars and gave brief presentations on research ranging from impact investing to disease detection. The board and administration praised the district's investment in research facilities.
The Syosset Central School District Board of Education on Feb. 13 recognized six Syosset High School students named Regeneron Science Talent Search scholars and heard short summaries of each student's research.
The recognition, introduced by the district and science staff, highlighted that 18 students from Syosset applied to the national competition and six placed among the top 300 scholars nationwide; each scholar receives a $2,000 award and the school receives $2,000 per scholar to support its research program. Superintendent Dr. Rogers and the board credited a prior investment in on-site research labs that allows students to do sustained, local research.
Nut graf: The presentations illustrated a range of student work grounded in the district's research program, which staff and trustees said is strengthened by an on-campus lab and by district and grant funding. Board members and administrators stressed the program's role in giving many students competitive projects and in supporting deeper learning.
Student presenters summarized their methodologies and findings in lay terms. Zach Hammond described a social-science project on trends in environmental, social and governance (ESG) and impact investing, reporting that left-leaning respondents and users of online investment platforms were more likely to consider ESG factors; Hammond said greater risk tolerance and investor experience also correlated with impact investing. Anika Shah presented analysis suggesting that test-optional college policies were associated with college diversity indexes that better align with state demographics and that socioeconomic consideration in admissions may boost racial diversity.
Vivek Turakhia presented laboratory research on aluminum hydroxide, a flame retardant he tested in a worm model; he reported degeneration of dopamine neurons and aggregation of alpha-synuclein protein in that model and concluded the chemical showed potential to induce Parkinson's-like indicators in that organism. Alex Wang described a low-cost gold-leaf electrode system intended as a rapid, multiplexable diagnostic sensor; he said the device can be built for a few dollars per sensor and detect multiple pathogens concurrently. Tina Jeong discussed linguistics research on sound symbolism, reporting differences in consonant correspondences between sound-symbolic and non-sound-symbolic words within selected Indo-European languages. (Sabrina Guo, whose research examined inequities in access to emergency contraception, was noted as unable to attend.)
Board members commended the students' presentations and the district's long-term decision to fund on-site research facilities that keep students working locally rather than sending them away for opportunities.
Ending: Administrators said the students' posters remained on display after the meeting and noted the Regeneron competition is one of several venues in which Syosset students compete; the district framed tonight's recognition as part of broader STEM programming successes.
