Huntington Junior Studies
at Hofstra University
Delving into science is a like a day at the beach for Huntington High School junior Jacob Roday, who never seems to grow tired of investigating, researching, studying, experimenting and expanding his already formidable base of knowledge.
Mr. Roday qualifies to be called a scientist, even though he's still teenager. He was one of only 17 high school students accepted into Hofstra University's summer science research program and that's just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.
This marks the third year that Mr. Roday is participating in Huntington High School's science research program. "He has played an integral role in creating a mentorship model between upper and underclassmen and he works endlessly to help other students with their projects," said teacher Lori Kenny, who head Huntington's research program. "I am honored to have such a dedicated individual in the program."
At Hofstra, Mr. Roday worked with Dr. J. Bret Bennington, an associate professor at the college. The teenager studied everything from the basics of geology to the fine details of hurricane chronostratigraphy, the sequence and time of sediment and rock deposits.
Mr. Roday has been interested in science research for some time so it wasn't surprising he wanted to pursue summer studies. His short-term goal is simple: The teenager wants to engage in high level scientific competition this year.
The days spent with Dr. Bennington, who holds a BS degree from the University of Rochester and a Ph.D. from Virginia Polytechnic Institute, were fascinating. Mr. Roday and the professor took sediment cores from "dumps" where hurricanes left marshes and brought them back to the lab for further testing.
"These geology labs on Hofstra's campus almost felt like they themselves were underground," Mr. Roday said. His favorite part of the summer experience was helping Dr. Bennington organize his extensive fossil collection.
"Some of the lab work was tedious, but in the end it turned out to be totally worth it," Mr. Roday said. The teenager's effort and dedication and the weeks he spent engaged in lab work appear to have him well-positioned to make a run at science competition honors in coming months.
(Amber Lindner, secretary of the high school science club contributed to this story.)