Science Research Program Gains Steam
Teacher Lori Pyzocha has helped put substantial wind beneath the wings of the Huntington High School science research program, which currently has 13 students enrolled in the class and two other pursuing independent research.
Assistant Superintendent Barbara Lacey called Ms. Pyzocha “a tremendous asset to the program. Her dedication and time commitment is extraordinary and she is starting to see some very nice results.”
The science research program is anything but boring,” said Ms. Pyzocha who kicked off the course by helping students choose motivational projects and then searching for mentors in the community. “Step-by-step the students learned and applied the scientific method in their personally designed science projects,” she said. While I had experience in a lab this was all new because this is like running 15 different labs with entirely different interests. Everyday is very exciting and at the moment the students are in the heart of collecting and analyzing data.”
Participating students are expected to enter some, if not all, of the following competitions: Long Island Science Congress, LI Environthon, LI Science Bowl, Science Olympiad, JETS (Junior Engineering Technical Society), Boston University, Young Naturalist, Adelphi Science Symposium, Protein Challenge, Rockets, DuPont Science Essay Competition and the Toshiba/National Science Teacher’s Association Exploravision.
This year’s participants and their projects include:
- Adam Cerini: How LCD’s can be used to Mimic the Camouflage of Cuttlefish.
- Jason Chisolm: Plastic Consuming Bacteria.
- Everett Coraor: An Experimental Investigation of the Magmas that Produced the Olympus Mons Volcano on Mars.
- Nicholas DiPaolo: The Transcription of Transcription Factors in Arabidopsis Thalia.
- Holly Flores: The Effect of UV Rays Absorbed by the Albedo Gradient in Cement.
- Jake Goldstein: The Effects of Exercise on Memory in Humans.
- Anna Harris: The Effects of Estrogen on the Reproduction of Gambusia in New York.
- Anthony Kouttron: The Reliance of Basic Properties of Matter: The Cement Brick Battery.
- Andrew Ku: A Study into the Effect of Avian Feather Patterns on Conventional Aircraft.
- Nicolas Maiarelli: Preference to Specific Side in Mice.
- Tyler May: Elastic Bicycle Battery.
- Matthew Petryk: Influence of a Magnetic Field on Plasma.
- Jack Russo: A Study of SNPs (Single Nucleotide Polymorphism) and Mutations in Genetic Populations.
- Marissa Schedler: The Study of Artificial Ling Transplants in Patients with Cystic Fibrosis.
- David Stillman: The Effects of Organic Phosphates on Short-term Memory Loss.
The research program students displayed their projects during the recent Trilogy Night at the high school. “This is a building year for the program and many more students are anticipated to participate next year,” Dr. Lacey said.
“It’s fun to watch and to help direct everything from culturing bacteria to running rats through a maze to measuring albedo in roofing tiles,” Ms. Pyzocha said. “I see the kids light up when doing their projects and exploring their personal interests and it’s not only what research is like but teaching, too, all rolled up into one.”
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