NSPC Health Sci Competition Selects Lynbrook Student Top Winner

June 10, 2019; Lynbrook, Long Island, NY – Five Long Island high school students recently received first place awards, one in each of five health science categories, at the NSPC Health Science Competition. This competition is the first of its kind in the nation to focus on health science. Held at the Tilles Center at Long Island University, C.W. Post, 300 students representing the best and brightest from 38 high schools from Nassau and Suffolk counties competed for $80,000 in awards. Students presented their health-focused, self-designed and researched projects to judges with expertise in health science and medical research.

The five first place winners are: Jason Sitt of Lynbrook Senior High School in the “Health Related Biochemistry & Physics” category; Christopher Lu of John L. Miller Great Neck North High School in the “Bioengineering and Computational Biology” category; Feyi Rufai of Roslyn High School in the “Behavioral Sciences,” category; Michael Lawes of Elmont Memorial High School in the “Biology - Microbiology/Genetics” category; and Alessi Demir of Manhasset High School in the “Biology - Medicine/Health” category. Each winner received a $5,500 prize.

Created to promote student interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) as well as healthcare and health science careers, this competition was managed by Long Island-based not-for-profit The Center for Science, Teaching & Learning (CSTL), whose mission is to encourage science-based learning and literacy through hands-on programs, and sponsored by Neurological Surgery, P.C. (NSPC), one of the New York Metropolitan region’s premier neurosurgical groups. The competition’s supporting sponsor was NYU Winthrop Hospital.

“The young people who were part of this competition were brilliant and inspiring. The students’ understanding of medicine and health related subjects was impressive.

These students are exactly what we need to address the high demand to fill STEM, health science and healthcare related jobs here on Long Island and across the nation. The NSPC Health Science Competition exceeded our goals in terms of number of schools and students participating. I believe this competition will further motivate both those who participated and others who observed these innovative young people to pursue their interest and careers in healthcare and related sciences,” said Dr. Michael Brisman of Neurological Surgery, P.C.

“We achieved a tremendous level of participation from high school students in the NSPC Health Science Competition. Competitions like this bring out the best in our students and they all worked very hard. This program is about the students and motivating them to embrace science and technology for their education and careers. It was clear that Dr. Brisman and his team from Neurological Surgery, P.C. and our more than 40 judges were impressed by the participants,” said STEM Crusader Dr. Ray Ann Havasy, Executive Director of Center for Science, Teaching & Learning.

The student competitors prepared for months for the event and worked independently or as part of teams to research and create their projects. For more information about the competition and a full list of all winners and their schools, please visit www.cstl.org.

Founded in Freeport in 1958, Neurological Surgery, P.C. (NSPC) has grown to become one of the largest, private neurosurgical groups in the U.S. with six conveniently located offices on Long Island. The practice’s 18 experienced neurosurgeons are experts in "Bloodless" brain and spine surgery, including laser spine surgery, ultrasonic spine surgery, radiosurgery, and other advanced minimally invasive techniques which are used to treat brain tumors, brain aneurysms, trigeminal neuralgia, herniated disc, spinal stenosis, chronic back pain, and other conditions. Please visit www.nspc.com for more information.

The Center for Science Teaching & Learning (CSTL) is a not-for-profit organization with a mission of encouraging science learning and literacy. CSTL develops programs for people of all ages and utilizes inquiry-based learning as its foundation for program development. CSTL is the administrator of the NSPC Competition and the Spellman HV Clean Tech Competition. For more information about CSTL, visit www.cstl.org.

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PHOTO CAPTION:
Pictured at the recent 2019 NSPC Health Science Competition congratulating its top five first-place winners are Dr. Michael Brisman of Neurological Surgery, P.C. (far left) and Kevin Sanders of the Center for Science Teaching and Learning (far right). The first place winners between Dr. Brisman and Mr. Sanders in the photo from left to right are: Christopher Lu of John L. Miller Great Neck North High, Bioengineering and Computational Biology Category; Alessi Demir of Manhasset High School, Biology - Medicine/Health Category; Feyi Rufai of Roslyn High School, Behavioral Sciences Category; Jason Sitt of Lynbrook Senior High School, Health Related Biochemistry & Physics Category; and Michael Lawes of Elmont Memorial High School, Biology - Microbiology/Genetics Category.

Photo credit: Courtesy Corbett Public Relations; Photographer: David Conn; The sender grants media permission to use this photo with the accompanying release in press-related materials for both print and online outlets.