The Home of Midwood Science Research

2023 Science Fair Abstract Book (and more from the past)

Posted on Wednesday, May 24, 2023 by for Science Fair.

2023 abstract book cover
2022 abstract book cover 2019 abstract book cover 2018 abstract book cover 2017 abstract book cover 2016 abstract book cover 2015 abstract book cover 2014 abstract book cover 2013 abstract book cover 2012 abstract book cover 2011 abstract book cover 2010 abstract book cover

One week to the 2023 Midwood Science Fair

Posted on Thursday, May 18, 2023 by for Science Fair.

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The Midwood Science Fair is almost upon us. Thursday, May 25, 2023 will be here before you know it. Juniors and seniors meet in the Library period 9. Alumni and other registered celebrity judges show up around 2:45–3:00 (a little early is better than a little late). Sophomores be in your assigned spot at the start of period 11. Everyone be prepared for an afternoon of science and celebration.

One month to the 2023 Midwood Science Fair

Posted on Tuesday, April 25, 2023 by for Science Fair.

The 2023 Midwood Science Fair is only a month away. Right now as you read this the sophomore research students are diligently working on their projects, formulating hypotheses, and plotting the best way to gather and analyze data. The juniors and seniors are sharpening their metaphorical pencils as well as their literal questioning skills. The alumni judges are looking forward to seeing old friends at Midwood once again. The teachers are keeping their students focused. Everyone is coordinating their schedules to make sure they're ready for Thursday, May 25, 2023.

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Mykhaelia C. and Lucas P. win at 2023 Terra NYC STEM Fair

Posted on Friday, March 31, 2023 by for Awards, Terra NYC.

The Terra New York City STEM Fair held their finals round at New York University's Tandon School of Engineering this past Sunday, May 26, 2023. This year's fair had 436 applicants from all 5 boroughs. Of the 36 Midwood Science seniors who entered, 2 received extra special recognition.

Mykhaelia C. won Third Place in Neuroscience and received the Brilliant.org Award for her project "Exploring the Feasibility of a Fluorescence Imaging-Based Brain-Machine Interface". Mykhaelia worked worked under the supervision of Dr. Ben Scott at Boston University.

Lucas P. won Third Place in Mathematical Sciences and received the Yale Science and Engineering Association Award for his project "Multivariable analysis on stock price and trade volume trends in the post-COVID-19 stock market shutdown era". Lucas worked under the supervision of Dr. Allison Bishop at Proof Trading, Inc.

Students standing in front of the Terra Science and Education press wall Students and teachers standing in front of the Terra Science and Education press wall

Terra Science and Education is a non-profit organization headquartered in Syracuse, New York that sponsors several regional science and engineering fairs in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

Terra NYC logo

Junior proposals receive $600 in grants from NYIT

Posted on Wednesday, March 15, 2023 by for Awards.

The Mini-Research Grant Award (MRGA) is an initiative of the New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) that rewards high school students for scientific research projects that are still in the proposal stage. This year two teams of Midwood Science juniors were selected by NYIT to receive grants totaling $600.

The duo of Diana C.F. and Jennifer F. were awarded $300 for their proposal, "The Effect of Thermal Stimulation on Body Ownership". They will be performing an updated version of the rubber hand illusion — an experiment to understand the body's sense of self.

The trio of Hailey L., Ashley C.M., and Batool K. were awarded $300 for their proposal, "Emotional Synchrony within Friendship". They plan on using EEG devices and a novel technique called hyperscanning to record the activity of multiple brains simultaneously.

Group photo holding checks
Left to Right: Mr. Glenn Elert (coordinator), Diana C.F., Jennifer F., Ashley C.M., Batool K., Hailey L., Ms. Stacy Goldstein (teacher), Dr. Robert Quinlan (principal)

NYIT logo

3 semifinalists at the NYC Metro JSHS, 2nd IRL event of 2023

Posted on Monday, February 27, 2023 by for Awards, JSHS.

On Sunday, February 12, 2023 three Midwood Science seniors presented their work at the semifinals round of the New York City Metro Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS). Semifinalists at JSHS are recognized for being among the top 100 science research projects in the five boroughs. This regional event has been hosted at York College in Queens on the second Sunday of February since 2009. 2023 marks its post-pandemic return to an in-real-life competition.

  • Mykhaelia C.
    Category: Life and Behavioral Science
    Project: Exploring the Feasibility of a Fluorescence Imaging-Based Brain-Machine Interface
    Mentor: Dr. Ben Scott at Boston University
  • Lucas P.
    Category: Mathematics and Computer Science
    Project: Multivariable analysis on stock price and trade volume trends in the post-COVID-19 stock market shutdown era
    Mentor: Dr. Allison Bishop at Proof Trading, Inc.
  • Kaitlynn M.
    Category: Environmental Science
    Project: Impact of Lactobacillus casei on corn, pea, and radish plants in sterilized and non-sterilized soil
Student standing next to a York College welcome sign
Kaitlynn M.
Student standing next to a York College welcome sign
Mykhaelia C.
Student standing next to a York College welcome sign
Lucas P.

JSHS is a nationwide program sponsored by the US Department of Defense that encourages high school students to conduct original research in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and publicly recognizes them for outstanding achievement. By connecting talented students, their teachers, and research professionals at affiliated symposia and by rewarding research excellence, JSHS aims to widen the pool of trained talent prepared to conduct research and development vital to our nation.

York College logo JSHS logo

Midwood Science returns to St. Joseph’s University

Posted on Monday, February 6, 2023 by for Awards, St. Joseph's.

St. Joseph's College coat of arms

After a three year hiatus, Midwood Science has finally returned to in-real-life competitions. On Saturday, February 4, 2023 Saint Joseph's University hosted its 25th Annual Research Poster Session for High School Students at their 107 year old campus in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. Midwood sent 20 seniors with projects in animal science, medicine, public health, psychology, social science, microbiology, neuroscience, engineering, and astronomy. 3 projects received honorable mention.

Honorable mention

  • Anne B.
    Category: Medicine & Health
    Project: The Association of Dietary Whole Grains with Coronary Heart Disease
    Mentors: Drs. Shilpa N. Bhupathiraju, Danielle Haslam, and Caleigh Sawicki at Harvard University
  • Samia F. and Shefa S.
    Category: Medicine & Health
    Project: The Effect of Covid 19 PPE Masks on Acne Vulgaris and Atopic Dermatitis
    Mentors: Drs. Jared Jagdeo, Isabella Dana, and Jennifer Wang at the SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University
  • Edward C.
    Category: Animal Science
    Project: Patterns in Monk Parakeet Nest Construction
    Mentor: Dr. Frank W. Grasso at Brooklyn College

Student standing beside their poster Student standing beside their poster Student standing beside their poster
Group photo on stage

2022 Published Papers

Posted on Saturday, December 31, 2022 by for Publications.

Journal cover

Student work published in print, on-line, or both in 2021. Daelah is the first author of this paper, a position that is rare for high school students.

The events of 2022

Posted on Sunday, June 26, 2022 by for Everyone.

Big list of published papers with Midwood Science coauthors

Posted on Sunday, June 26, 2022 by for Publications.

Science is a collaborative effort. No one works alone. The highest praise a mentor can give to a student is to include them as an author on a scientific paper. From 1998 to 2022, 31 Midwood Science students have seen the work they did while still in high school published in peer-reviewed journals. Three had their names appear first in the list of authors, which means they were recognized as contributing more than anyone else.

All efforts have been made to ensure this record is exhaustively complete. If I have missed anything, please let me know.

2022

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Daelah is the first author of this paper, a position that is rare for high school students.

2021

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2020

Nomon graduated in 2017, Jennifer in 2018, Toby in 2019.

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2018

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2015

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Kiara and Shadika graduated in 2014. Kahei graduated from Midwood in 2008 and was working with Dr. Rosenfield as student of SUNY Optometry when this experiment was conducted.

2014

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Gabby is the first author of this paper, a position that is rare for high school students.

2013

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Francisca and Mercy graduated in 2011, Leo in 2013.

2012

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2011

The Journal of Chirality cover

2009

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Two students who graduated in 2009 coauthored academic works.

2008

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2007

Three students who graduated in 2007 coauthored academic works.

2005

Four students who graduated in 2005 coauthored academic works.

2002

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Jacquline graduated in 2001 and Jessica graduated in 1999.

2000

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1999

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  • Hui Kun Hao

1998

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Daelah Nicholas presents at Nutrition 2022; Published in Current Developments in Nutrition

Posted on Wednesday, June 15, 2022 by for Publications.

On Tuesday, June 14, Midwood Science senior Daelah Nicholas presented her research project at the American Society for Nutrition's virtual conference, Nutrition 2022. An abstract of her work was also published at the same time in the June issue of Current Developments in Nutrition. The conference presentation is for registered attendees only, but the journal article is "open access", i.e. free of charge. Daelah worked under the supervision of Dr. Jean Kever in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan.

Poster
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Presentation
Journal cover
Abstract
Infant temperament: Exploring the potential role of maternal dietary choline and folate consumption during pregnancy in a Michigan pregnancy cohort. Daelah Nicholas (Midwood High School) with Chia-Lun Yang, Nicole Talge, & Dr. Jean Kerver (Michigan State University).

2022 Midwood Science Fair Awards

Posted on Monday, June 13, 2022 by for Awards, Science Fair.

1st Place

Traditional photo of the award winner holding their trophy standing in front of their poster board
Anna Bukhman
pH Impact on Algae Growth
Traditional photo of the award winner holding their trophy standing in front of their poster board
Adrian Perez & Fiona Zhao
How different acne medications affect the development of E. coli bacteria

2nd Place

Traditional photo of the award winner holding their trophy standing in front of their poster board
Cindy Li
The Science Behind The Perfect Cookie
Traditional photo of the award winner holding their trophy standing in front of their poster board
Hamood Khan
One in a melon: the effect of fertilizers on the height of watermelon plants
Traditional photo of the award winner holding their trophy standing in front of their poster board
Victoria Ronan & Lucy Guo
Germ-Proof!

3rd Place

Traditional photo of the award winner holding their trophy standing in front of their poster board
Xinwei Chen
Effects of pH on Bacterial Degradation
Traditional photo of the award winner holding their trophy standing in front of their poster board
Emely Rivas & Katelyn Martinez
The Biofuel in Bio-you
 

Honorable Mention

Traditional photo of the award winner holding their trophy standing in front of their poster board
Rebecca Yakobovich & Eman Shabbir
Conformity Trends in High School
Traditional photo of the award winner holding their trophy standing in front of their poster board
Jinyu Xu
Soil Moisture Content vs. Volt Resistors (Prototype)
Traditional photo of the award winner holding their trophy standing in front of their poster board
Batool Kamal
Rethink What You Drink
Traditional photo of the award winner holding their trophy standing in front of their poster board
Eda Maqellara & Elana Chen
No Bacteria Please!
Traditional photo of the award winner holding their trophy standing in front of their poster board
Diana Chen Feng & Jennifer Fan
Disinfectants vs. Bacteria
Traditional photo of the award winner holding their trophy standing in front of their poster board
Hailey Lau & Ashley Castillo Mendez
Bacteria: #1 Public Enemy to Masks

Bonus photo

Group photo of all the winners holding their trophies
Congrats to all the winners!

2022 Science Fair Abstract Book (and more from the past)

Posted on Wednesday, June 1, 2022 by for Science Fair.

2022 abstract book cover
2021 abstract book cover 2020 abstract book cover 2019 abstract book cover 2018 abstract book cover 2017 abstract book cover 2016 abstract book cover 2015 abstract book cover 2014 abstract book cover 2013 abstract book cover 2012 abstract book cover 2011 abstract book cover 2010 abstract book cover

Daelah Nicholas and Bintia Keita win Gold at 2022 NYC ACT-SO; Both headed to national competition in July

Posted on Sunday, May 22, 2022 by for ACT-SO, Awards.

Midwood Science seniors Daelah Nicholas and Bintia Keita received Gold Medals at this year's New York City Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO) — Daelah in Medicine and Health and Bintia in Engineering. Both students are headed to Atlantic City in July where they will present their research projects at the NAACP National Convention.

Award winners and teacher standing in front of artwork in the annex hallway
Daelah Nicholas, Mr. Elert, Bintia Keita

Poster Poster
Daelah Nicholas. Category: Medicine and Health. Project: Infant temperament: Exploring the potential role of maternal dietary choline and folate consumption during pregnancy in a Michigan pregnancy cohort. Mentor: Dr. Jean M. Kerver, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Michigan State University Bintia Keita. Category: Engineering. Project: "Emo's" potential application for children with autism. Mentors: Dr. Kathleen McDermott and Dr. Scott Fitzgerald, Tandon School of Engineering, New York University

Michelle Yang and Zitong Liu win 2 awards at 2022 Terra NYC finals

Posted on Tuesday, April 12, 2022 by for Awards, Terra NYC.

Congratulations go out to the team of Zitong Liu and Michelle Yang. Their project, "Veganism Saves the World: Plant-Based Meat Alternatives," won Honors at the 2022 Terra NYC STEM Fair, making them one of the top high school science research projects in New York City. They also won the NOAA Award for "fine work about science, service, and stewardship in the study of climate, weather, oceans, and coasts."

Michelle Yang and Zitong Liu advance to Terra NYC finals

Posted on Friday, March 18, 2022 by for Awards, Terra NYC.

Congratulations go out to Michelle Yang and Zitong Liu as their project "Veganism saves the world: Plant-based meat alternatives" joins the city's top 100 science projects at the Terra NYC STEM Fair.

Michelle and Zitong have been working to recreate and improve on plant-based meat recipes. They prepared multiple test batches, cooked them, and had volunteers taste test them. They then took their project to the next level and applied the environmental impact assessment done by the Impossible corporation to the different recipes. They computed things such as water consumption, atmospheric carbon release, and nitrogen eutrophication potential. They did this all without the help of a professional food scientist, and were funded in part by a grant from the New York Institute of Technology.

Unfortunately the finals will be held virtually again — Saturday and Sunday, March 26 and 27. When the event was held in real life, students would present at the American Museum of Natural History. The photos below show Michelle and Zitong on a field trip for Sophomore Science Research. We couldn't go the the museum this year, so we went two years ago.

Selfie of the practice session
Michelle and Zitong (center) practicing their Terra NYC presentation with "judges" Mr. Elert (far left), Katherine Zhong (left), and Midwood Mayor Nafisa Haque (right).

6 semifinalists at 2022 Metro NYC JSHS, Bintia Keita going to National JSHS in April

Posted on Thursday, March 3, 2022 by for Awards, JSHS.

On Sunday, February 6, 2022 York College hosted the latest (virtual) installment of the NYC Metro Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS). JSHS is a nationwide collection of 48 regional competitions sponsored by the US Department of Defense whose aims are to promote original STEM research at the high school level and to publicly recognize students for outstanding achievement.

Six projects by Midwood students made it to the semifinals round this year. Bintia Keita won First Place in Engineering and impressed the judges so much that she is one of five students representing New York City at the 60th National JSHS In Albuquerque, New Mexico in April.

National JSHS delegate

  • Bintia Keita
    Category: Engineering
    Project: "Emo's" potential application for children with autism
    Mentors: Dr. Kathleen McDermott and Dr. Scott Fitzgerald in the Tandon School of Engineering at New York University

NYC Metro JSHS semifinalists

  • Enaya Ahmad
    Category: Behavioral & Social Sciences
    Project: The presence of the other race effect in teenagers
    Mentor: Dr. Grit Herzmann in the Department of Psychology at The College of Wooster
  • Muhammad Sharjeel
    Category: Behavioral & Social Sciences
    Project: Association between extroversion and homework behavior among NYC high school students
    Mentor: Dr. Jason Young in the Department of Psychology at Hunter College
  • Samarpreet Singh
    Category: Behavioral & Social Sciences
    Project: Social media usage and the degree of optimistic bias in adolescents
    Mentor: Dr. Steven Anolik in the Department of Psychology at St Francis College
  • Benny Dong & Jason Wu & Lian Hao Zheng
    Category: Behavioral & Social Sciences
    Project: How does gratitude affect one's quality of sleep and level of depression?
    Mentor: Dr. Steven Anolik in the Department of Psychology at St Francis College
  • Michelle Yang & Zitong Liu
    Category: Environmental Sciences
    Project: Veganism saves the world: Plant-based meat alternatives

Group photo on the Midwood bridge over Bedford Avenue

Bintia Keita receives NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing

Posted on Monday, February 14, 2022 by for Awards.

Midwood Science senior Bintia Keita was one of 40 winners nationwide to receive the 2022 Award for Aspirations in Computing (AiC) from the National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT). Since there were over 3,500 applicants, Bintia is almost literally a one-in-a-hundred student (one in 87.5 for the statistically pedantic out there).

The NCWIT AiC honors 9th–12th grade women, genderqueer, or non-binary students for their computing-related achievements and interests, and encourages them to pursue their passions. Award recipients are selected based on their aptitude and aspirations in technology and computing, as demonstrated by their computing experience, computing-related activities, leadership experience, tenacity in the face of barriers to access, and plans for post-secondary education.

Bintia’s project is a robot named "Emo" who can be used to teach children with autism about emotions. She built and programmed Emo herself at home using parts partially paid for by a grant from the New York Institute of Technology and parts 3D printed at Midwood.

Bintia Keita Emo
NCWIT logo AIC logo

Senior Science Research 2022

Posted on Thursday, January 27, 2022 by for Seniors.

Large group photo on the front steps of Midwood

2 Midwood projects receive grant from NYIT

Posted on Tuesday, January 25, 2022 by for Awards.

The Mini-Research Grant Award (MRGA) is an initiative of the New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) that awards monetary grants to high school students for scientific research projects still in the proposal stage. Two projects by Midwood students were selected on Tuesday, January 25, 2022 — and soon thereafter NYIT sent us $600.

  • Senior Lianhao Zheng received a grant of $300 for his proposal "How does a 9–12th grade high school students’ mindfulness affect their level of depression and sleep quality?" Lianhao’s work will be submitted to the AP Capstone program in May. This is the second time he has won this award.
  • Juniors Angel Wu, Aaron Xu, and Jiaen Chen received a grant of $300 for their proposal "The effect of external factors on the perception and taste of food". The team will submit their work to the Terra NYC STEM Fair and other competitions in their senior year.

Group photo with students holding checks

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