PMHS Science Research Students Place At Symposium

Pelham NY

21 March, 2022

9:41 PM

Description

Press release from Pelham Public Schools: March 21, 2022 PMHS Senior Olivia Pollock won Overall 1st Place and Best in Fair and classmate Ann Liu placed 2nd at the New York State Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS) held last week. In addition to winning a $2,000 scholarship, Olivia will now travel to the 60th National Junior Science and Humanities Symposium in Albuquerque, New Mexico in April to showcase her work alongside 245 other high school students. "I was absolutely shocked," said Olivia, who is looking forward to competing in New Mexico. "I'm really excited to meet other people that are so invested in their research." Olivia's research project, titled "Developing and Assessing Fucose-Based Water-Soluble Bioplastics" has been ongoing since freshman year, when the idea was developed from a "Shark Tank" project. Last spring as a junior, Olivia wrote a grant and presented the proposed research plan to AMPLIFY, a local association of faculty, parents, community members, education-supporting organizations, alumni and students committed to enhancing the Science Research Program at PMHS. In continuing the research, Oliva invented a type of plastic made of natural materials that can break down in the environment as well as in water for which she has been granted a provisional patent. "I'm so grateful to every person that is a part of this program," Olivia said, noting teachers Steven Beltecas and Joe DiBello, as well as Dr. Tom Callahan, Director of Science and Math and the members of AMPLIFY. "I wouldn't be who I am today and would not have gotten as far as I have without them." In addition to finishing second at JSHS, Ann, along with fellow PMHS student Andrew Kelly placed among the top 300 scholars at the Regeneron competition earlier this year. Ann's research focused on "Investigating Strategies For Retinal Regeneration In Mammals Via An Integrated Analysis Of Single-Cell RNA Sequencing Datasets." "In my family we have a history of vision impairment, even if it's just something like nearsightedness," Ann said. "I've always just been worried about the deterioration of the eye, so when I joined Science Research and gained the opportunity to conduct my own research, I knew I wanted to pursue something with retinal research and a treatment for retinal disease." "We are so proud of Olivia and Ann for this amazing accomplishment," Mr. Beltecas said. "Our competition Motto is 'The Win of One is a Win for All.' This win really exemplifies the family environment and strive for excellence mentality we have in the research program. Throughout the winter, our students at all levels, work on presentations giving positive and constructive feedback to presenters with the intention of making everyone better. We are so proud of our entire research program for working with and supporting each other every day!" Both Olivia and Ann said that participation in the science research program has helped them grow as students and they look forward to continuing to pursue science after they graduate from PMHS. "I look back frome time to time on the first presentation that I ever gave," Olivia said. "I was terrified to present and it didn't go well. Seeing how I've been progressing has been really incredible. This program made me who I am today and set me up for where I'm going to go." Ann echoed those points, noting that the program has especially helped with public speaking and presentation skills. "Science research is definitely like a family," Ann said. "Some of my closest friends I made because I happened to be sitting next to them in 9th grade. This program made me a better student in terms of presenting - I was terrified of public speaking at first, I couldn't do it confidently. But after practicing so many times, I've gotten so used to it." This press release was produced by Pelham Public Schools. The views expressed here are the author's own.