The Home of Midwood Science Research

individuals	teams
Hussain Bokhari Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells: The Future of Renewable Energy	Bernice Pham & Johnny Warn Which Dish Detergent Is Most Effective? Jennifer Chen & Jason Zheng Does Shape Affect Parachutes?
Jing Wei Hu Photons Action! Meghan Ng The Effect Environment and Medium on Germinating Radish Seeds	Anthony Dacres & Levtrim Kelmendi Reaction Times of Different Pain Relievers in Acetic Acid Amy Chen & Yukie Wong Effectiveness of Zinc Oxide on Ultraviolet Radiation
Jessica Yip The effectiveness of different types of wipes Bella Zilber Which product stains teeth the most? Coffee, Tea, Water, or Coke? Ester Shamailova The Strength of Glue	Brian Choi & Ashley Tan The Effect of Liquid Hand Soap Against Staphylococcus epidermidis Jacky Cham & Richard Wu The Effects of High and Low pH on Radish Growth Dianna Roman & Valeriya Falkovich Which Brand of Toothpaste is Most Effective Against Staphylococcus? Kelly Tom & Eunice Lee Pearly Whites
Olena Hadelia Which Vitamin C Has the Most Vitamin C? Lucy Lin Which Affects Your Heart More: Hard Rock or Soft Piano Music? Aarin Chase Acne Medication Effectiveness on Propionibacterium acne Syeda Hillary Are You Safe in School? Michael Divgun Do Frozen Foods or Canned Foods Have Better Nutritional Value? Emily Sokolson Amount of mold growth due to preservatives Stanley Purygin How different spices affect E. coli growth Sandra Lin Which Brand of Aluminum Foil Works Best? Raymond Lopez Bio Isolation of Caffeine from Tea Aleksey Ladina	Dajana Reci & Anna Stafeyeva Grow Plants Grow! Zainab Iqbal & Marisol Morales Brain Dominance Tiffany Sanabia & Dominique Semple The Effect of Cocoa Powder on the Growth of Bacteria Nancy Li & Vivian Tan Speed Up! Hillary Yip & Karry Ho The Effect of the Amount of Fertilizer on Plant Growth Sandy Wu & Candice Zhong Chips on Fire!

More than one hundred posters created by college and high school students were exhibited in the Brooklyn College Student Center on Friday, May 10th, 2013 for Science Research Day. Midwood entered 10 projects in biology, chemistry, environmental science, physics, and psychology.

Syeda Rasool won Second Place for her project "The effect of low dose lead exposure on cortical bone mineral properties of young C57/BL6 female mice". She worked with Mr. Chase Budell in the Biology Department and Dr. Terry Dowd in the Chemistry Department at Brooklyn College.

Standing (left to right): Jessica Khaimova (alumnus), Nicholas Lee, Zainab Saleem,
Prianka Zaman, Tasnim Halim, Ziva Rubinstein, Tiffany Loi, Samuel Genchikmakher, Yao Jiang,
Solomon Chan, Priscilla Deng (Murrow), Samantha Cham; Seated: Syeda Rasool

Mark your calendars — Thursday, May 23, 2013, 3:00–5:00 PM

• Sophomores
  • Bring something to eat or drink.
  • Participate as contestants.
  • Feast.
• Juniors and Seniors
  • Bring something to eat or drink.
  • Help set up.
  • Participate as judges.
  • Feast.
  • Help clean up.
• Alumni and Teachers
  • Participate as judges.
  • Feast.

Ryan Fraser was declared a First Prize Winner and Gold Medalist in the 2013 New York City ACT-SO (Academic, Cultural, Technological, and Scientific Olympics) in the Chemistry/Biochemistry category for his project “Immobilization of Photosystem II Core Complexes onto Titanium Dioxide Surfaces”. The award includes a $500 scholarship and the chance to compete in the National ACT-SO in Orlando, Florida July 5–9. Ryan worked under the supervision of Dr. Michele Vittadello in the Department of Chemistry and Environmental Science at Medgar Evers College.

Ryan Fraser (center) with his dad (right) and NYC ACT‑SO Chairman Anton Tomlinson (left)

The World Science Festival will be held from Wednesday, May 29th to Sunday, June 2nd at various times and locations across New York City. The festival organizers are looking for high school students who have a passion for science and are willing to contribute time, talent, and enthusiasm.

A list of qualifications and assignments is available at this web page. Register at this web page. Tell them when you are available and how you think you can help. A brief interview and/or training session will be required of all potential volunteers. Extra credit will be awarded, of course, and transit will be covered.

Jenny Ng was a semifinalist in the Young Naturalist Awards competition sponsored by the American Museum of Natural History for her project "Will Mudballs Containing Effective Microbes Improve Water Quality in Ponds?" She was mentored by Dr. Zhongqi (Joshua) Cheng in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Brooklyn College. The Young Naturalists began in 1998 as a way to reward middle and high school students for outstanding research done in the natural environment. Jenny is the first Midwood Science student to win an award in this competition ever!

Jenny Ng (left) with Solomon Chan (Midwood) and Priscilla Deng (Murrow)

Hello Research Seniors and Juniors,

We will be holding the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) Physics Bowl Period 9, Tuesday, April 16, 2013 in Room A320.

Participants in this competition take a 45 minute, 40 question multiple choice test written by the AAPT. This event is open to all students who are currently enrolled in an AP Physics class. Students in AP Physics B compete in the first year division, while students in AP Physics C compete in the second year division. (There is a slight difference in questions between the two divisions.) Awards are given to the top students and the top schools in a geographic region. All research students who participate will receive one half point of extra credit.

If you are interested in this event, see Mr. Spergel in room A300 (or email hss28@cornell.edu). He will give you information on how to register and how to take the practice exam online.

NYCSEF First Award

• Jian Cong (Leo) Liao (Behavioral & Social Sciences)
  Project: Computer-animated images of mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) produced different preference and behavior effects on live individuals depending on features displayed
  Mentor: Maurizio Porfiri, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Polytechnic Institute of New York University

NYCSEF Second Award

• Christopher Ayala (Midwood) & Jing Lin (Stuyvesant) (Physics)
  Project: Encoding information with light’s angular momentum
  Mentor: Giovanni Milione, Department of Physics, City College of New York
• Klaudia Wojciechowska (Microbiology)
  Project: Effect of penicillin treatment on gut microbiome beta glucuronidase activity in a mouse model
  Mentor: Claudia Plottel, Department of Medicine, New York University School of Medicine
• Ron Baazov (Medicine & Health Sciences)
  Project: Interaction of lupus inducing drugs with hydrogen peroxide and development of a lupus test
  Mentor: Donald Gerber, Department of Medicine, SUNY Downstate Medical Center
• Yao Jiang & Tiffany Loi (Earth & Planetary Sciences)
  Project: The role of pyrite in the iron-sulfur theory
  Mentor: Mim Lal Nakarmi, Department of Physics, Brooklyn College

NYCSEF Third Award

• Evelyn Veliz (Medicine & Health Sciences)
  Project: Role of Reck and VEGF signaling pathway during brain angiogenesis
  Mentor: Jesús Torres Vázquez, Department of Developmental Genetics, New York University School of Medicine
• Winnie Li & Kate Wong (Engineering)
  Project: Can you tell the difference?
  Mentor: Mim Lal Nakarmi, Department of Physics, Brooklyn College
• Judy Li & Sandy Wu (Cellular & Molecular Biology)
  Project: The effect of Zingiber officinale, Allium sativum, and Allium cepa on Tetrahymena thermophila
  Mentor: Ralph Alcendor, department of Biological Sciences, New York City College of Technology
• Ziva Rubinstein (Biochemistry)
  Project: Detecting changes in neurons within the hippocampus of mice that learned a spatial task
  Mentor: Juan Marcos Alarcon, Department of Pathology, New York University School of Medicine
• Syeda Rasool (Biochemistry)
  Project: The effect of low dose lead exposure on cortical bone mineral properties of young C57/BL6 female mice
  Mentor: Chase Budell, Department of Biology, Brooklyn College
• Zainab Saleem (Behavioral & Social Sciences)
  Project: The effect of the experimenter’s religion on explicit attitudes
  Mentor: Karla Felix, Department of Psychology, Brooklyn College
• Gabrielle Lynch (Behavioral & Social Sciences)
  Project: Attrition rates in a cohort of 1361 people matched into neurosurgery residency from 1990 to 1999
  Mentor: Uzma Samadani, Department of Neurosurgery, New York University School of Medicine

Additional Awards

• Yao Jiang & Tiffany Loi (Earth & Planetary Sciences) received the Association for Women Geoscientists Award for exceptional projects submitted by young female geoscientists.
  Project: The role of pyrite in the iron-sulfur theory
  Mentor: Mim Lal Nakarmi, Department of Physics, Brooklyn College
• Samantha Cham (Environmental Sciences) received the Environmental Education Advisory Council: Remembrance Award for projects that promote the objectives and mission of the Environmental Education Advisory Council.
  Project: Characterization of cyanobacteria bloom factors on toxicity in Prospect Park Lake
  Mentor: Brett Branco, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Brooklyn College
• Nicholas Lee (Environmental Sciences) received the Environmental Quest: Michael G. Mann Award for projects that promote the objectives and mission of Environmental Quest; to bring awareness to the man-made and natural environment.
  Project: Creating Soil with Fermented Food Waste
  Mentor: Zhongqi (Joshua) Cheng, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Brooklyn College

American Museum of Natural History. Central Park West at 79th St, New York, NY
www.amnh.org

If T.R. says it, you can bet it’s true!