This year, students in New Hyde Park Memorial’s Science Research program participated in a variety of prestigious science competitions, presenting their yearlong experiments. These events allowed students to present their findings to professional judges, receive feedback from experts in their fields and compete against other student researchers from across the state, country and even the world. Competitions attended by NHP students included the Long Island Science & Engineering Fair (LISEF), the International Science & Engineering Fair (ISEF), the Long Island Science Congress (LISC), the New York State Science & Engineering Fair (NYSSEF), the NYSSEF Andromeda competition and the South Asian American Women’s Alliance (SAAWA) Science Fair.
“Every competition allows students to present their research findings and gives them the opportunity to win awards and develop presentation skills,” science research teacher Mr. Denara said. “They worked hard and did a great job this year.”
Throughout the competition season, students spent countless hours refining their projects, designing presentation boards, analyzing data and practicing how to effectively communicate their research to judges. Beyond competing for awards, many students gained valuable experience in public speaking, scientific communication and professional networking.
“It’s a great feeling and sense of accomplishment after being awarded for all the hard work that went into the preparation and dedication of this project. I practiced presenting to myself using either a mirror or my computer camera. Yet, the preparation can only go so far, it is more of the passion and the intense work that goes in to a project. With being invited to the awards ceremony, I feel thankful for my peers, friends, teachers, and mentors that assisted me in achieving this milestone,” junior Alphonse Jaison said.
One of the most notable events was the ISEF, which was held in Phoenix, Arizona. As the world’s largest international pre-college science competition, ISEF brought together approximately 1,700 finalists from more than 60 countries, regions and territories. Ethan Lin advanced to the ISEF division, in the category of Robotics and Intelligent Machines.
“To prepare for the competition, I practiced presenting my project and research to my peers as well as to research teachers. I read a lot of research within my field to gain a broader understanding of the topic beyond just my specific project,” sophomore Ethan Lin said. “Participating in the event was very fun and intense, as well as being very eye-opening. It was really interesting to meet people from all around the world.”
Another significant event was the NYSSEF Andromeda competition, which was held at Jericho High School. The competition provided students with an opportunity to present their work, receive feedback from judges and gain additional experience in a competitive scientific environment. This year, several NHP students earned placements in the top 10% of participants. Students Alphonse Jaison, Zahra Nuha, Abel George, Ashreet Rajput, Giuliana Corrales, Ava Joseph and Sofia Khan won in the NYSSEF Andromeda.
“Personally, this was my first year in Science Research, so most of the process was absolutely new to me. From anxiously waiting for our judges to come to dragging out our poster boards in garbage bags to protect them from the rain, it was overall a really fun experience,” sophomore Abel George said. “After spending hours staring at my laptop coding and practicing our presentation, it was really satisfying when my partner and I finally had the chance to present it and receive an award.”
Other major competitions include SAAWA 11, where Obed Glanson, Alphonse Jaison and Zahra Nuha won, and LISC, where students Hongxiang (Jackson) Kang, Dominic Cyril, Ethan Lin, Obed Glanson, Joel Joseph and Joshua Joseph were awarded for their efforts.
