Something old is something new for Peter Gaal. The Huntington High School junior is pushing forward with an exciting project in his science research class.
“My research this year is an expansion of my research from last year,” Mr. Gaal said. “I knew that I enjoyed researching things related to surgery and I especially enjoyed my project last year, so I decided to go to the next level with it. I am extremely interested in surgery and everything surrounding it and since sutures are not too commonly researched, I thought this would be a good idea.”
The title of the research project is a little daunting: The Effects of Different Concentrations of Triclosan on Escherichia Coli.
“Triclosan is an antiseptic chemical commonly used in surgery in order to stop infection,” Mr. Gaal said
During the project, Mr. Gaal will work to determine what affects different concentrations of triclosan have on the bacteria known as Escherichia coli (usually abbreviated as E. coli). Mr. Gaal uses E. coli since it’s similar to human cells.
“I am very excited to see the end product of my project,” Mr. Gaal said. “I feel like the results of this research will be much more noticeable than last year’s research, so I am really looking forward to seeing everything come to fruition. It’s also very rewarding to be able to create an end product after months of hard work.”
Mr. Gaal is on the high school’s high honor roll. He’s one of the top students in Huntington’s Class of 2023.