Cold Spring Harbor, NY — Scientists from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) recently participated as judges at the East Woods School 2009 Science fair for grades five through eight. The group of judges was lead by Diane Esposito, Ph.D., a cancer researcher at CSHL since 1993, who has volunteered her time and expertise at East Woods School since 1997.
The other CSHL judges, who volunteered their time to participate, included a diverse spectrum of laboratory personnel ranging from doctoral students to post-doctoral researchers, each of whom brings different types and levels of expertise to the laboratories at CSHL. Among them were Drs. Anne Daulny and Fuqiang Geng, who, after completion of their doctoral studies are training as postdoctoral fellows; Justin Katz, a laboratory technician who assists scientists in various experimental and analytical tasks; Abhishek Chakraborty, Galen Collins, and Danny Khalil, who are all graduate students in CSHL’s Watson School of Biological Sciences, which offers an innovative doctoral program; Jennifer Troge, and Simone Salghetti, who are research associates participating in various research programs.
Students competed in the fair by either creating a science project, or by writing a science research paper based on a varying range of topics including, global warming, and intelligence in dogs, human nutrition, and the solar system. Each student was given the opportunity to present his or her project to the judges.
The overall winner was sixth grader Vivian Zetterstrom for her project “Smelling versus Not Smelling.” The prize for best research paper went to Joseph Macy for his report about outer gas giant planets and newly discovered planets. John Henry Hanson, Michael Bernardini, and Nathanial Hogg were the winners for the fifth, sixth, and seventh grades, respectively. The eighth-grade winners were Dillon Wilensky and Kristie Kelly.
“Through this inquiry, our students are learning valuable scientific research skills,” said Nathaniel W. Peirce, Ed.D., headmaster at East Woods School. “Perhaps this will be the beginning of a life long journey of unlocking perplexing questions in the science world.”
The East Woods School mission is to foster strength of character and academic excellence while developing and encouraging creativity, intellectual curiosity and a lifelong passion for learning.
Written by: Communications Department | publicaffairs@cshl.edu | 516-367-8455