Six Huntington High School science research program students recently participated in Farmingdale State College’s STEM Diversity Summit.
Raul Orozco, Mya Davis, Robert Jean-Gilles, Ricardo Romero-Cisneros, Joe Tonjes and Claudia Villatoro were all on hand to present their research projects. Held in Roosevelt Hall on the Farmingdale campus, organizers of the summit said “the urgency to continue to act together to strengthen economic and workforce development through education and industry is imperative.”
Huntington sophomore Claudia Villatoro with her research findings.
The recent summit featured “best practices” along with dozens of research exhibits in science, math, engineering and technology that were created by public school students spread across grades 8-12. There were also presentations on sustainable energy technologies and biotechnologies, cyber security and manufacturing by national, regional, and local businesses.
The Huntington contingent impressed those attending the summit. Accompanied by Huntington science teacher Dame Forbes, the teenagers were dressed in business attire and brought along their project presentation boards and a willingness to discuss their research findings with anyone of any age.
“At first I was nervous about this event, as I had never experienced a competition in this type of setting,” Ms. Villatoro said. “But everyone was very nice and welcomed every student with open arms.”
Ms. Villatoro’s research project is titled “The Effect of Mindfulness on Test Performance.” She studied the impact of mindfulness meditation on student test grades. The sophomore presented it to three judges and was pleased with their reaction. “I was very happy with my presentation at this competition,” she said. “Every judge seemed very interested in my project and helped to create a welcoming atmosphere.”
Many parents and professionals from business, science and medical fields attended the event. “One parent actually came up to me and expressed profound interest in my project,” Mr. Villatoro said. “She put me in contact with a psychologist who will aid me in future research with my project.”
As her sophomore year of high school nears its conclusion, Ms. Villatoro has formulated plans to further her research during the summer months. She will be joining several researchers in Ecuador, where she will continue her exploration into “mindfulness meditation.”
The summer fellowship will see Ms. Villatoro aiming to determine the effects of meditation on other areas, specifically medication. She will then go about organizing her findings for presentation beginning next fall.
(Huntington High School senior Nolan Piccola, a science research program intern, contributed reporting for this article.)
