Six Moncton High School science studies students were recognized at the Charles Duggan Long Island Science and Technology Fair, and three were winners at the New York Science and Technology Fair. The students researched topics that they considered important areas of study.
Every year, the entries in LISEF are considered one of the most progressive high school projects. On the second day of the two-day competition, students must be selected to present themselves to the judges.
LBHS Junior Justin Weissberg took first place in the Animal Science category for his research entitled “Oyster Reef Sustainability, Part of the Puzzle: Gamete Viability in Crassostrea Virginia; Determining Time and Concentration Restrictions”. He studied the reproduction of oysters to determine the optimal fertilization to restore the population. Justin also won the Aileen and Irwin Wissner Environmental Conservation Award, which included prizes for a 350-million-year-old fossil and $ 100. He will now be attending the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in May and has also qualified for the Olympics of the International Sustainable World Energy Engineering Environment Project.
The juniors Alexandra Kapilian and Jonathan Kapilian took third place in environmental management for their project “The impact of population density on carbon dioxide emissions per capita”. They collected data from various utility companies and calculated emissions in the seven counties of New York City and Long Island.
Alexandra and Jonathan were also named semifinalists in the Junior Science and Humanities Symposium at York College for their research. Sophomores Savannah Kile and Leah Shokrian ranked fourth in the Environment category in their “Measuring the Prevalence of Parasitic Pleurogonius malaclemys in Populations of Ilynassa Obsoleta to Assess Malaclemys Terrapin Distribution in Western Bays” category. The couple visited a number of swamps and collected snails, which they watched for parasites. By linking the parasitic presence with declining turtle populations, they were able to identify ways to better conserve the turtle species in the western bays.
Senior Logan Weitz took fourth place in medicine for his work entitled “Cancer Prevention: The Extraction of the p53 Cancer Gene from Human Organ Cells”. He studied genetically modified human cells and the p53 gene that causes p53. Logan completed his research over a period of three years at Weill Cornell Medical Center in Manhattan, where he was supervised by two doctors. His article is published in the Cornell Medical Journal, and a doctor plans to acquire his research and apply it to further research in the medical field. Logan’s work also earned third place in medicine and health at the NYSEF event, where seniors Justin Barry and Marc Pittinsky took second place in microbiology. Her project entitled “The effects of propolis and Humulus lupulus L. as an antimicrobial cream on the inhibition of Staphylcoccus epidermidis and Micrococcus luteus” examined substances for their potential to control infections.
The high school’s scientific research program is open to all students who wish to participate. It offers first-year students through seniors the opportunity to gain authentic scientific learning experiences and do the same work by professional scientists. The students involved in the program participate in competitions such as LISEF every year and continually earn achievements and awards.
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