Posted on Friday, December 13, 2019 by Elert for NYCSEF.
30 completed applications are on their way to the New York City Science and Engineering Fair (NYCSEF) offices in downtown Brooklyn. Thank you students, teachers, and mentors for all your hard work.
NYCSEF will be held this year at CitiField on Sunday, March 8, 2020. Wish our students good luck whenever and wherever you see them.
Posted on Sunday, November 24, 2019 by Elert for Juniors, NYCSEF, Seniors.
Seniors (and a few juniors), I need your NYCSEF signature pages on or before Monday, December 2, 2019 so the Principal and I can sign them. Please print the Principal’s name (Michael McDonnell) for him, but do not sign or date the form (obviously). Please do the same for my name (Glenn Elert). I will sign part b as the Science/Research Teacher for all seniors. The rest of the paperwork along with a complete research paper must be ready by Wednesday, December 11, 2019. All photocopying will be done at this time. Do not make any copies before this date.
Posted on Tuesday, June 25, 2019 by Elert for ACT-SO, Awards, Brooklyn College, Media, NYCSEF, Science Fair.
To celebrate the last two days of the academic year, here's all the news that happened at Midwood Science in the past two months. Have a great summer and see you in September.
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Fizza Nayab and Emily Movsumova win at 2019 Brooklyn College Science Day Posted on Friday, May 3, 2019 by Elert for Awards, Brooklyn College. |
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3 Midwood students awarded gold medals at 2019 NYC ACT-SO |
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2019 Science Fair Abstract Book (and more from the past) Posted on Monday, May 27, 2019 by Elert for Science Fair. |
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2019 Science Fair in action Posted on Thursday, May 30, 2019 by Elert for Science Fair. |
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Alyssa Kattan represents Midwood High School and Brooklyn College at the 47th annual MARM Posted on Friday, May 31, 2019 by A Student for Publications. |
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Midwood Science students volunteer at the 2019 World Science Festival |
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2019 Midwood Science Fair Awards Posted on Friday, June 7, 2019 by Elert for Awards, Science Fair. |
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NYCSEF competitors strive for success Posted on Thursday, June 13, 2019 by A Student for Media, NYCSEF. |
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Research students debut findings at Science Fair Posted on Thursday, June 13, 2019 by A Student for Media, Science Fair. |
Posted on Thursday, June 13, 2019 by A Student for Media, NYCSEF.
Surely, robotic body parts only exist in "The Terminator." There is no such thing as a real cyborg, right?
Wrong! As Midwood's very own Rana Mohamed '19 can tell you, robotic body parts are real. Mohamed won first place at the New York City Engineering Science Fair (NYCSEF) for her robotic passive walker.
NYSCEF is a competition where students from all over New York City come together and present scientific projects they've worked on all year. Students send in a research paper, and about 450 projects are selected to be presented at the science fair. Among the 450 projects, only 120 are selected to move on to the final round.
Midwood had 32 students selected to compete in the competition, and five moved on to the finals. Along with Mohamed's first place win, Annabel Xie '19 and Larissa Brijmohan '19 came in second place, and Fizza Nayab '19 and Maryam Khan '19 came in third place.
Mohamed's invention was a step towards the future of biomedical engineering.
"I built an actuated passive walker that mimics the movement of exoskeletons used by paraplegics, people who are paralyzed from waist down," said Mohamed. "I made this walker to conduct energy expenditure experiments to extend the battery life of my walker. Essentially, if I am able to figure out which variables can decrease energy consumption, I can project my findings onto an actual exoskeleton."
Rana Mohamed '19 hopes to project her findings onto an actual exoskeleton.
The passive walker has a promising future. It can be used to help people paralyzed from the waist down or veterans with lost legs. They could use the passive walker to walk normally.
Mohamed is currently studying how to extend the battery life and lower the weight of the walker to make it possible to attach it to the skeleton of a human. She will be attending New York University (NYU) Tandon this coming fall to continue her research in biomedical engineering.
The science research class helped various students branch out into different fields they were interested in and get hands-on experience.
"You start research as a sophomore, and you do foundational work like how to write papers and how to write an argument," said Mr. Glenn Elert said. "Sophomores do the sophomore science fair, and juniors try to find internships in labs across the city to work there for about a year. Then they enter competitions in the fall of senior year."
Xie described her second place win as "an honor."
"I studied [and] did field work on monk parakeets, Myiopsitta monachus," said Xie. "I'm in a psychology lab. I worked with the ArcGIS, which is a system that allows us to map things, put data layers onto a map, and perform spatial analysis."
Xie did research and mapped out monk parakeet nests. Monk parakeets are small bright green parrots that can be relatively noisy creatures.
"Since monk parakeets are often viewed as a noise nuisance, my research can help inform people about where monk parakeets tend to nest so people who are not fond of noises would know to move away from these areas," said Xie. "If people like the noises, they can move closer to the birds."
This research gives the real estate market a new perspective on property value. Depending on the buyer, knowledge on where the monk parakeets are nesting can change the buyer's view of the property.
Whether its building passive walkers or mapping the nesting of monk parakeets, the future is bright for Midwood's NYCSEF competitors.
Written by Armin Pasukanovic (Class of 2020)
This article originally appeared in the June 2019 issue of Argus.
Posted on Thursday, March 28, 2019 by Elert for JSHS, NYCSEF, St. Joseph's.
Dear friends of Midwood Science. Sorry I haven't posted much lately. Here's several news items to satisfy your thirst for knowledge. (Number 6 will amaze you.) Follow the links to see more words and images.
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5 Midwood students compete at the 2019 JSHS semifinals, Ahmad Choudry takes 3rd place in chemistry Posted on Friday, February 8, 2019 by Elert for Awards, JSHS. |
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Midwood seniors capture half the awards at 2019 St. Joseph's College Poster Session, Rana Mohamed takes first place Posted on Saturday, February 9, 2019 by Elert for Awards, St. Joseph's. |
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4 Midwood students present for the 2019 Eastern Psychological Association Annual Meeting Posted on Friday, March 1, 2019 by Elert for Publications. |
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Midwood Science at the 2019 NYCSEF preliminaries |
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5 Midwood students take awards at NYCSEF finals. Robots, parrots, and mice lead the way. Posted on Monday, March 25, 2019 by Elert for Awards, NYCSEF. |
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Two months to the Midwood Science Fair Posted on Saturday, March 30, 2019 by Elert for Science Fair. |
Posted on Monday, March 25, 2019 by Elert for Awards, NYCSEF.
Maryam Khan, Rana Mohamed, Annabel Xie,Larissa Brijmohan, Fizza Nayab
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Posted on Wednesday, December 12, 2018 by Elert for NYCSEF.
Assembled paperwork for NYCSEF 2019. 27 projects. 34 students. Weight in the Earth's gravitational field: 66 newtons. Delivered today at 2:25 PM.
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Posted on Sunday, December 9, 2018 by Elert for NYCSEF, Seniors.
Seniors. We will be assembling paperwork for NYCSEF on Monday, December 10, 2018 starting period 6. All copies will be made at this time using the heavy duty photocopiers in Mr. Rosenfeld’s office (A200) or Ms. Kornaker's office (A300). I will bring large envelopes, staples, binder clips, and labels. You will bring your completed paperwork including…
Print everything single sided and do not staple anything yet.
Posted on Monday, March 26, 2018 by Elert for Awards, ISEF, NYCSEF.
This was the year of psychology at Midwood Science. All of our NYCSEF First and Second Awards went to students with psychology projects (both human and parakeet). Out of the 9 award winning projects, 5 were connected to the study of human or animal behavior. Engineering, medicine, and environmental science completed the team.
Aushna Saleem won the highest awards of the competition — a NYCSEF First Award and an Intel ISEF Award — for her study of the behavior of Brooklyn's beloved monk parakeets. Hafsa Fatima collected another First Award for her study of monk parakeet vocalization. Aushna and Hafsa worked under the supervision of Dr. Frank Grasso from Brooklyn College — a supporter of Midwood Science for 15 years. Aushna will be traveling to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to compete in the Intel ISEF in the third week of May.
First time mentors from St. Francis College supported the remaining psychology projects. First Award winners Mei Mei Weng & Judy Huang studied stress and birth order and were supervized by Dr. Steven Anolik. Second Award winners Albina Kukic & Wendy Lliguichuzhca studied factors affecting altruism and were supervised by Dr. Uwe Gielen and Dr. Sung Hun Kim. Albina and Wendy also received the American Psychological Association Award for their exceptional project.
Linda Chen, Yiming Dai, Jennifer Duong, Elizabeth Joseph, Sabina Kubayeva, Beien Lin, Kathy Mania, and Rana Mohammed all received Third Awards. Beien and Kathy were also Semifinalists in the Stockholm Junior Water Prize for their water-related project. Rana received the Yale Science and Engineering Association Award for best engineering project by a junior.
NYCSEF is the annual New York City Science and Engineering Fair sponsored by the New York City Department of Educatation, the City University of New York, and ConEdison. Roughly 570 participants from all five boroughs participated in the Preliminary Round this year at City College on March 4. The top 25% of those advanced to the Finals Round at the American Museum of Natural History on March 20. The top 16 projects go on to represent New York City in the 2,000 student mega-event, the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania May 13–18.
Posted on Friday, March 23, 2018 by A Student for ISEF, Media, NYCSEF.
Enthusiastic seniors from all over New York displayed their scientific experiments as juniors eagerly speculate at the New York City Science and Engineering Fair (NYCSEF) on March 4, held at City College in Hamilton Heights, Manhattan.
Students from different high schools entered this competition, including Brooklyn Technical High School, Edward R. Murrow High School, and Stuyvesant High School.
The whole process of NYCSEF is complex. First, the students have to fill out paperwork ranging from each of their grades, followed by paperwork being assembled by faculty members of the Science Research program. The process may be lengthy and complicated, but in the end it is all worth it. Students who win the final round have a chance to win prizes totaling four million dollars in scholarships and awards, as well as an all expense paid trip to Pittsburgh.
Mr. Glenn Elert, the main supervising teacher, explains that this is a very difficult competition and that the seniors, currently competing in the finals, have to go up against students from all over the city. Mr. Elert credits the success of his seniors going to the finals to the supervision of the research coordinators and staff that made these events run smoothly.
The NYCSEF competition is a collaboration of scientific works. The number of participants this year allowed for more diverse competition.
Overall, Mr. Elert and the faculty members felt satisfied with the students hard work and their advancement to the finals. They believed that the competition is an effective way of promoting brilliant minds to present their work through these projects and allows them to be a part of the NYCSEF community.
Calvin Hunyh and Michelle Zinger ’18 said, You get your own idea of where the gaps in the field are and our research ultimately strives for a cure for cancer.
Competing this year could potentially open up many doors for these two, especially when applying to colleges.
Science research gave me a sense of accomplishment and prestige because we did work so hard on our projects so NYCSEF gave us a chance to show our work and dedication, said Hunyh.
Competing in NYCSEF allows students to delve into new fields of scientific research. Hafsa Fatima ’18, one of the finalists of NYCSEF, explains that while competing in NYCSEF was very difficult, it permits for a new understanding of science.
For Fatima, this was an opportunity for learning, because of which she was able to conduct her research, and reach her dreams, such as, collecting, analyzing, and presenting my data to the scientific community.
At NYCSEF, the preliminary round is where all students get the moment to showcase their projects in Shepard Hall at City College.
As the preliminary round continues, the top 25 percent of student researchers from each subject category were invited to participate in the Finals on March 20, at the American Museum of Natural History.
The Awards Ceremony follows six days later, on March 26, at the Borough of Manhattan Community College.
Approximately fifteen students will be selected to represent New York City at the International Science & Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania May 13–18.
This year Midwood has been extremely committed to NYCSEF and had sent out its 14 students, who are presenting nine projects to this year’s competition. Hopefully the finalists will show the scientific community that they all deserve to be future scientists, and continue showcasing their research in ISEF.
Written by Atif Gujar, Muhammad Hamza, Rubhiyah Chaudhry, and Nicole Demetrashvili (Class of 2019).
This article originally appeared in the March 2018 edition of Argus.
Posted on Saturday, March 10, 2018 by Elert for Awards, NYCSEF.
The New York City Science and Engineering Fair (NYCSEF) is the city’s largest high school research competition. More than 700 students from around the city submitted applications in 2018. The top 130 projects were selected to advance to the Finals Round on Tuesday, March 20, 2018 at the American Museum of Natural History. Midwood High School will send 14 students presenting 9 projects to this year’s competition under the big blue whale. Awards will be presented on Monday, March 26, 2018 in the Tribeca Performing Arts Center at the Borough of Manhattan Community College 4:00–6:00 PM.
Posted on Wednesday, December 6, 2017 by Elert for NYCSEF, Seniors.
Seniors. We will be assembling paperwork for NYCSEF on Monday, December 11, 2017 starting period 5. All copies will be made at this time using the heavy duty photocopiers in Mr. Rosenfeld’s office (A200) or Ms. Kornaker's office (A300). I will bring large envelopes, staples, binder clips, and labels. You will bring your completed paperwork including…
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Posted on Tuesday, November 21, 2017 by Elert for NYCSEF, Seniors.
Seniors, I need your NYCSEF signature pages on or before Monday, November 27, 2017 so the Principal and I can sign them. Please print the Principal’s name (Michael McDonnell) for him, but do not sign or date the form (obviously). Please do the same for my name (Glenn Elert). I will sign part b as the Science/Research Teacher for all seniors. All seniors will meet with their supervising teacher during the first week of December to give an update on the progress of their application. The rest of the paperwork along with a complete research paper must be ready by Monday, December 11, 2017.
Posted on Monday, May 1, 2017 by A Student for Media, NYCSEF.
Out of 130 finalists, seven students from Midwood made the NYCSEF finals and showcased their projects at the Museum of Natural History. The finalists are Mahmoud Abouelkheir '17, Allan Nosov '17, Nomon Mohammad '17, Lilin Liu '17, Vivian Luu '17, Minna Zeldin '17, and Amna Aslam '17.
According to midwoodscience.org, NYCSEF, also called the New York City Science and Engineering Fair, is a yearly competition in which hundreds of students participate in a preliminary round at City College and a final round at the Museum of Natural History. Sponsored by the Department of Education and CUNY, NYCSEF allows students to learn about a field they're interested in and get a chance to become a recognized and accomplished person, which also stands out on a college application.
Mentors at Brooklyn College, City College and the Hospital for Special Surgery supervised the finalists. They did projects in different fields, such as biology, physics, and earth and environmental science and presented them to expert judges. The winners can get various awards, internships, scholarships, and cash prizes.
One of the top projects included "Intra-microcolony spatial positioning affects antibiotic susceptibility in Neisseria gonorrhoeae," by Mahmoud Abouelkheir. He was awarded the NYCSEF First Award and the Intel ISEF award, which are the highest awards of the competition. Abouelkheir expressed his excitement, as winning an award and competing with others is something he would never forget.
"NYCSEF was a different experience that other science fairs I've been to. I also participated in the first and second round," he said. "I did not think I was going to become a finalist. It was really cool that I had one of the top projects."
Nomon Mohammad received the NYCSEF Second Award and the ASM Materials Education Foundation Award for his engineering project on studying different ways to use electrolytes to optimize energy storage in batteries. Mohammad described his experience at NYCSEF and believed that winning the award was a symbol of the hard work and he and his lab put into the project.
Vivian Luu, Amna Aslam, Nomon Mohammad, Allan Nosov,
Mahmoud Abouelkeir, Minna Zeldin, Lilin Liu
"It was interesting to see other people's projects at the competition because it really represented their scientific exploration and their effort," he said. "I hope that the research program grows in the coming years because it's something that can change one's perspective on science."
Lilin Liu was one of the students to win the NYCSEF Third Award, but also won the Brooklyn Navy Yard Award for her project testing the effectiveness of x-ray fluorescence on lead contaminated vegetables.
"Winning an award is always beneficial. Not only does it make you feel good, but it's good for college too. I also received a paid internship because of this project – it's a good opportunity and can help me achieve more in the future," she said.
Allan Nosov, another student to receive the NYCSEF Second Award, did an earth and environmental science project called "Lapse rate analysis — model versus observations." Nosov felt honored to have competed with the other students and found the event to be enjoyable.
"Competing with the other students was fun because their projects were really exceptional. It was fun because I met new people from other schools and I think it was a good educational opportunity," he said.
The top 16 projects will continue on and represent New York City at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Los Angeles, California during May 14–19. For more information on the finalists, visit nycsef.cuny.edu.
Written by Yumna Ahmed Qazi (Class of 2017).
Sara Omran (Class of 2019) and Shakila Islam (Class of 2018) also contributed to this article.
This article originally appeared in the April 2017 edition of Argus.
Posted on Sunday, April 2, 2017 by Elert for Awards, ISEF, NYCSEF.
NYCSEF is the annual New York City Science and Engineering Fair with hundreds of participants from across the five boroughs. Roughly 400 participants are selected from 700–800 entries to participate in the Preliminary Round held at City College. The top 25% of these go on to the Finals Round at the American Museum of Natural History. These students compete against one another for various awards, internships, scholarships, and cash prizes. The top 16 projects go on to represent NYC at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Los Angeles, California May 14–19.
Midwood Science is proud to congratulate Mahmoud Abouelkheir for receiving the highest award of the competition — the Intel ISEF Award. Lilin Liu received an award from the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation, which includes a paid internship. Allan Nosov and Nomon Mohammad also received special awards. Vivian Luu, Minna Zeldin, and Amna Aslam rounded out the list of award winners.
This year's Finalists worked in the Departments of Biology, Physics, and Earth and Environmental Sciences at Brooklyn College; the offices of NOAA-CREST at City College; and the Flow Cytometry Core Facility at the Hospital for Special Surgery. Special thanks to all the mentors for their dedication and hard work.
