The Home of Midwood Science Research

Seniors,

I sent you a rather long email today. A copy is available on this website should you need to refer to it.

senior-message.txt

 

15 Midwood Science Research students were declared finalists in the 2013 New York City Science and Engineering Fair (NYCSEF). NYCSEF is the New York City Department of Education’s annual science and technology research competition, coordinated by the City University of New York (CUNY). More than 700 students from around the city submitted applications to the 2013 NYCSEF. On Sunday, March 3, the qualifying students from high schools across the city met at City College to display their scientific research for the Preliminary Round.

Only the top 100 projects (approximately) are invited to attend the finals round. These students are the best of the best. Wish them good luck at the finals on March 19, 2013 at the American Museum of Natural History.

• 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
• 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
• 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
• 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
• 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
• 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
• 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
• Zainab Saleem (Behavioral & Social Sciences)
  Project: The effect of the experimenter’s religion on explicit attitudes
  Mentor: Karla Felix, Department of Psychology, Brooklyn College
• 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
• 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

This year’s New York City Metro JSHS was held at York College in Jamaica, Queens on Sunday, February 10. JSHS connects talented students, their teachers, and research professionals at affiliated symposia and rewards research excellence. Midwood had 4 semifinalists.

• Ron Baazov
  was a semifinalist and presented his project "Interaction of Lupus-Inducing Drugs With Hydrogen Peroxide and Development of a Lupus Test". Ron worked under the supervision of Dr. Donald Gerber in the Department of Medicine at SUNY Downstate Medical Center.
• Ryan Fraser
  was a semifinalist and presented his project "Immobilization of Photosystem II Core Complexes onto Titanium Dioxide Surfaces". Ryan worked under the supervision of Dr. Michele Vittadello in the Department of Chemistry and Environmental Science at Medgar Evers College.
• Jasmine Lam
  was a semifinalist and presented her project "Substrate Specificities of the Vertebrate Members of the NIpC/P60 Protein Family". Jasmine and her partner Anna Guo worked under the supervision of Dr. William Blaner in the Institute of Human Nutrition at Columbia University Medical Center.
• Roxana Bravo
  was a semifinalist for her project "The Restoration of Myelin Content". Roxanna worked with Dr. Peter Bergold in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology at SUNY Downstate Medical Center.

Ron Baazov, Ryan Fraser, Anna Guo, Jasmine Lam

NASA Television will provide commentary starting at 2:00 PM EST on Friday, February 15, during the close, but safe, flyby of a small near-Earth asteroid named 2012 DA14. At the time of its closest approach to Earth at approximately 2:25 PM EST, the asteroid will be about 27,600 km (17,150 miles) above Earth’s surface — closer than geostationary telecommunication satellites.

The American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) invites you to participate in the 8th Annual DNA Day Essay Contest. This year there is one question, which deals with discoveries in genetics that have occurred in the 60 years since Watson and Crick published their model of the DNA double helix.

2013 marks the 60th anniversary of the discovery of the double helix of DNA by James Watson and Francis Crick and the 10th anniversary of the first sequencing of the human genome. Choose either of these breakthroughs and explain its broader impact on biotechnology, human health and disease, or our understanding of basic genetics, such as genetic variation or gene expression.

Justify your answer in detail and be sure to include one or more specific examples of broader impact. Use reliable references and citations to support your argument, for example, research published by experts in scientific journal articles and books.

Interested students should contact Ms. Ross. (Obviously, current and former AP Biology students are strongly encouraged to apply.) Deadline for submission is Friday, March 15, 2013 at 5:00 PM EST. Extra credit will be awarded to any Science Research student (senior, junior, or sophomore) who writes an acceptable essay as judged by Ms. Ross and submits it through the ASHG website before the deadline.

 

Elert	Sullivan	Elert
Christopher Ayala	Shahodat Azimova	Aiysha Ashfaq
Aziza Babaeva	Varvara Budetti	Ron Baazov
Allen Barbarovich	Alisha Bunting	Onycha Banton
Yasmine Brown-Williams	Bryan Chan	Roxana Bravo
Amy Cao	Xin Yi Chen	Sam Cen
Sammi Chung	Kharene Gittens	Samantha Cham
Leonidas Eracleous	Remi Henry	Solomon Chan
Samuel Genchikmakher	Stefanie Henry	Anna Chen
Ying Tong Guo	Rodolfo Hernandez	Ramsha Farooq
Tasnim Halim	Mosamed Kabir	Ryan Fraser
Shadika Jahan	Cindy Li	Anna Guo
Joel Jose	Shirley Li	Janae Headly
Jasmin Kim	Ting Lin	Fabliha Hoque
Jessica Liang	Andy Liu	Yao Jiang
Nikia Miller	Ellysa Magloire	Jasmine Lam
Kiara Nunez	Tiffany Mai	Nicholas Lee
Shubh Rana	Chukwunonso Nwasike	Judy Li
Almas Shafiq	Fionne Pham	Winnie (1) Li
Jeffrey Tsui	Akeem Pinnock	Jian Cong (Leo) Liao
Helen Wu	Adam Soliman	Dao Quan Lin
Jonathan Yuen	Jenny Wang	Tiffany Loi
	Ashley Yip	Tiffany Lui
	Annie Zheng	Gabrielle Lynch
		Zoe Ma
		Vlad Moraru
		Jenny Ng
		Linda Ngo
		En Nekema Noel
		Syeda Rasool
		Ziva Rubinstein
		Zainab Saleem
		Crystal Soo
		Evelyn Veliz
		Nadege Willis
		Klaudia Wojciechowska
		Kate Wong
		Sandy Wu
		Prianka Zaman

Updated: April 29, 2013

On Saturday February 2, 2013, St. Joseph’s College held a High School Poster Session sponsored by the New York Section of the American Chemical Society. Midwood sent 38 students to the competition and brought home 2 second place and 3 honorable mention awards.

• Ron Baazov
  received a second prize award for his project "Interaction of Lupus-Inducing Drugs with Hydrogen Peroxide and Development of a Lupus Test". He worked under the supervision of Dr. Donald Gerber in the Department of Medicine at SUNY Downstate Medical Center
• Prianka Zaman
  received a second prize award for her project "The function of γδ T Cells". She worked under the supervision of Dr. Ellen Hsu in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology at SUNY Downstate Medical Center.

Ron Baazov	Prianka Zaman

• Christopher Ayala (Midwood) and Jing Lin (Stuyvesant)
  received honorable mention for their project "Encoding Information with Light’s Angular Momentum". They worked under the supervision of Dr. Giovanni Milione in the Department of Physics at City College.
• Ryan Fraser
  received honorable mention for his project "Immobilization of Photosystem II Core Complexes onto Titanium Dioxide Surfaces". He worked under the supervision of Dr. Michele Vittadello in the Department of Chemistry and Environmental Science at Medgar Evers College.
• Syeda Rasool
  received honorable mention for her project "The Effect of Low Dose Lead Exposure on Cortical Bone Mineral Properties of Young C57/BL6 Female Mice". She worked under the supervision of Mr. W. Chase Budell in the Department of Chemistry at Brooklyn College.

Chris Ayala	Ryan Fraser	Syeda Rasool

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) is offering research opportunities over the summer to students interested in a career in biomedical or behavioral research. Participating researchers are located across the US. There is one scientist who is willing to work with high school students in New York City (Perry N. Halkitis at NYU). There are 11 locations outside NYC that are willing to work with high school students that will also provide temporary housing. Applicants must be at least 15 year old.

This is an excellent opportunity for sophomores looking to enter science research, juniors who are still looking for internships, and seniors who might like to try working in a new lab while they wait to go to college.

Applicants must submit a transcript, a statement of research career interest (an essay), two letters of recommendation, and complete the application form. Applications must be received by Friday, February 15, 2013. I realize the turnaround time on this is rather short, but this is the way NIDA does it. Everyone applying across the US will be working equally furiously to make the deadline.

Together with Intel, the Society for Science & the Public has launched a digital badging system to recognize achievement in the Intel Science Talent Search (Intel STS). The concept of digital badging focuses on badges as a means to inspire learning, confirm accomplishment and validate the acquisition of knowledge or skills.

The following students won the Student Initiative Badge in recognition of their exceptional effort and accomplishment relative to available resources.

• Evelyn Veliz
  Project: Role of Reck and VEGF Signaling Pathway During Brain Angiogenesis
  Mentor: Dr. Jesus Torres-Vazquez, Department of Developmental Genetics, NYU Langone Medical Center
• Roxana Bravo
  Project: The Restoration of Myelin Content
  Mentor: Dr. Peter Bergold, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, SUNY Downstate Medical Center

The following students won the Research Report Badge in recognition of their exceptionally well-written college-level report covering the research they submitted to the Intel Science Talent Search

• Evelyn Veliz
  Project: Role of Reck and VEGF Signaling Pathway During Brain Angiogenesis
  Mentor: Dr. Jesus Torres-Vazquez, Department of Developmental Genetics, NYU Langone Medical Center
• Roxana Bravo
  Project: The Restoration of Myelin Content
  Mentor: Dr. Peter Bergold, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, SUNY Downstate Medical Center
• Anna Chen
  Project: Heat Treatment of Ammonium Vanadate: Electrolyte in a PEMFC
  Mentor: Dr. Sophia Suarez, Department of Physics, Brooklyn College
• Jian Cong (Leo) Liao
  Project: Computer-animated images of mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) produced different preference and behavior effects on live individuals depending on features displayed
  Mentor: Dr. Maurizio Porfiri, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, NYU Polytechnic Institute
• Judy Li
  Project: The Effect of Allium cepa and Allium sativum on Tetrahymena thermophila
  Mentor: Dr. Ralph Alcendor, Department of Biological Sciences, New York City College of Technology
• Prianka Zaman
  Project: The Function of γδ T cells
  Mentor: Dr. Ellen Hsu, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, SUNY Downstate Medical Center
• Ryan Fraser
  Project: Immobilization of Photosystem II Core Complexes onto Titanium Dioxide Surfaces
  Mentor: Dr. Michele Vittadello, Department of Chemistry and Environmental Science, Medgar Evers College
• Samantha Cham
  Project: Characterization of Cyanobacteria Bloom Factors on Toxicity in Prospect Park Lake
  Mentor: Dr. Brett F. Branco, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Brooklyn College
• Tiffany Lui
  Project: Sensitivity of the CELF-4, TROG-2, and EOWPVT in Children with SLI
  Mentor: Dr. Klara Marton, Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences, CUNY Graduate Center
• Yao Jiang
  Project: The Role of Pyrite in the Iron-Sulfur World Theory: Anti-theory with Oxygen
  Mentor: Dr. Mim Lal Nakarmi, Department of Physics, Brooklyn College
• Yongjian (Sam) Cen
  Project: The Correlation Between Caffeine Consumption and Teenage Sleep Deficiency
  Mentor: Dr. Carlos Restrepo, High School Fellows Program, NYU School of Medicine

The Research Room is reserved periods 7–10 on Tuesday, January 8 for an end-of-the-semester celebration. You made it through the paperwork nightmares that are Intel and NYCSEF. I think it’s time we used A214 for a gathering.

The best thing would be if everyone would contribute something to the cause (main dish, side dish, beverage, etc.). We may have cups, silverware, and napkins left over from last year’s science fair, but I don’t know for sure.

I have arranged for the delivery of a 160 liter tank of liquid nitrogen for educational purposes. One of the more interesting things you can do with it is make ice cream in 30 seconds. I have some of the ingredients (vanilla powder, cocoa powder, peppermint extract, sugar) as well as the necessary utensils. I need a volunteer or two or three to bring cream (light cream works better than heavy cream).

Please visit the spreadsheet and tell me what you’d like to contribute. (Check your email for the link.)

Papers were delivered to NYCSEF headquarters at 17 Court Street at 2:15 PM.