John Jay Students Recognized For Science Research At Symposium

CROSS RIVER, NY — Six of John Jay High School student-scientists were recognized for research they had done by the Westchester Rockland Junior Science and Humanities Symposium Jan. 30.

Grace Mango’s investigation of the blue-green algal growth at her neighborhood lake, Lake Oscaleta, took top place in Earth and Environmental Sciences category at the symposium. She traced the genesis of her research topic back to a conversation three years ago with Janet Andersen, a citizen-scientist and president of the Three Lakes Council in South Salem.

Eliza Wein, currently the No. 1 e-birder at Ward Pound Ridge Reservation, won third place in symposium's Earth and Environmental Science category for her research on urban bird migration.

Madeleine Panek’s research on age-related macular degeneration, inspired by a family member’s degenerative eye disease, placed third in the Cellular and Molecular Biology category.

Mango, Wein and Panek and three other John Jay student-scientists joined more than 350 seniors from 36 area high schools to participate in the event. There were a total of 18 from John Jay.

While students’ research topics often grow out of a personal experience, the rewards of participating in the Science Research program are, according to the students, surprising and broad.

Mango credits John Jay’s science research program for empowering her to take her place as a woman in STEM.

“I remember watching senior presentations three years ago completely in awe, thinking to myself that I could never do that but here I am, and I am so excited to continue in the future,” she said. “Science Research helped me realize that environmental science is the field I will be valuable in as an innovator, problem solver and researcher.”

Wein said the experience of working with her mentor at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology not only developed her ability to communicate with professionals and present her work, but also strengthened her connection with the college of her choice.

“I was extremely fortunate to be accepted into Cornell early decision,” she said. “I have every intent to keep up my research and engage with the ornithology community at Cornell.”

Sofia Kreckler placed first in the Local Speaker Session in Neurology for her work on ultrasound as an effective treatment for neurodegenerative diseases. She was drawn to the topic by her uncle’s struggle with Parkinson's Disease and now looks toward continuing her research in college.

“Because of this class I have a clear idea of what I want to do in the future,” she said.

Ann Marie Lipinsky, the coordinator of John Jay’s Science Research program and chairwoman of the symposium, summed up the impact of the program.

“The opportunity to do this truly authentic work not only inspires students to go on in science but also prepares them to be life-long learners and problem-solvers," she said. "I am very proud and grateful that as a district we support these kinds of opportunities for our students.”

The list of John Jay High School students recognized at Westchester Rockland Junior Science and Humanities Symposium, a provided by the high school:

• Grace Mango placed first in Earth and Environmental Sciences and will move onto the Upstate JSHS where she will present her work for a chance to go to the National JSHS. Her work: Comparing the utilization of inorganic and organic phosphate in blue-green algal growth.
• Madeleine Panek placed third in Cellular and Molecular Biology and will present a poster at the Upstate JSHS. Her work: The Influence of MicroRNAs in the Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition in Age-Related Macular Degeneration.
• Sofia Gil placed third in Math/Computer Science and will present a poster at the Upstate JSHS. Her work: Chemistry with Qubits: Modeling the Diels Alder Reaction Between Ethylene and Cyclopentadiene Using Quantum Technology.
• Eliza Wein placed fourth in Earth and Environmental Science and will present a poster at the Upstate JSHS. Her work: Has seasonal timing of urban bird migration shifted in the last two decades? An exploration using weather surveillance radar data in ten US cities.
• Quade Albert placed 5th in Cellular and Molecular Biology and is an alternate to present a poster at Upstate JSHS. His work: Genetic Engineering of the HIV-1 Capsid to Address the Orientation Problem During Cryo-electron Micrography.
• Sofia Kreckler placed first in the Local Speaker Session in Neurology. Her work: Automated Quantification of Microglial Response after Focused Ultrasound-induced Opening of the Blood Brain Barrier.