Edgemont Earns 25 Science Research Awards; Student Qualifies for Top International Science Fair

The Edgemont High School science research team made a strong showing in the prestigious Regeneron Westchester Science and Engineering Fair (WESEF), with 21 students winning 25 awards. Edgemont senior Nova Wang earned a spot in the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), a competition some call “the Olympics of science competitions,” said science research teacher Talia Dardis. 

“If you are doing science research as a high schooler, your dream and the highest achievement you can reach is to compete at ISEF,” said Dardis.

Dardis said all participants were excited to be among the 650 students from science research programs across Westchester and Putnam counties joining the fair at Somers High School on March 18. The results were released March 23. Competitors present their independent research findings on highly detailed, oversized posters. Some Edgemont students were interviewed by judges 10 times, Dardis said.

“The students had a lot of fun sharing their hard work,” she said. “They were really proud of their posters. It’s been really exciting for them to share their passion for their research projects.”
Wang, a senior, was among the top 20 students in the competition, all of whom qualified for ISEF, which will be held in Dallas May 14-19. It is the world’s largest pre-college competition in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), its website says.

Wang’s project was aimed at “developing a novel way of evaluating the effectiveness of cancer inhibitors” by going deeper than the clustering of cells to focus on relevant genes, he said. Wang is interested in applying computer science to fields that may not be obvious to many, such as psychology or econometrics.

Wang is looking forward to meeting fellow student scientists from around the world in Dallas. He spent much of WESEF speaking with peers from throughout the region, and admiring their projects.

“All of the projects were impressive,” he said. “Each one of the students worked extremely hard on their projects, and they’re talented scientists to be sure.”

Wang and schoolmate Amratya Jain won first-place awards in the competition. Jain and student Rania Malik won WESEF scholarships to compete in the International GENIUS Olympiad in Rochester in June. Eighteen Edgemont students are participating in that competition, which celebrates achievements in environmental issues and sustainability. The name stands for Global Environmental Issues and Us.

“Congratulations to all of our Edgemont students who presented their research findings in the Westchester Science and Engineering Fair,” said Superintendent Dr. Kenneth R. Hamilton. “We’re thrilled with all accolades the students brought back to Edgemont, and even more so with the enthusiasm, initiative, and love of science that all the Edgemont competitors showed.”

The Edgemont winners:

WESEF Finalists for Regeneron ISEF

• Computational Bio/Bioinformatics: Nova Wang

International GENIUS Olympiad

Fifteen sophomore and junior students won $150 and were chosen to attend the International GENIUS Olympiad held at the Rochester Institute of Technology from June 12 - 16.

• Biochemistry: Amratya Jain
• Medicine and Health Sciences: Rania Malik

1st Place Awards

First-place awards are sponsored by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals. Winners receive a gold medal and $125.

• Biochemistry: Amratya Jain
• Computational Bio/Bioinformatics: Nova Wang 

2nd Place Awards

Second-place awards are sponsored by Con Edison. Winners receive a silver metal and $100.

• Medicine and Health: Rania Malik

3rd Place Awards

The third place awards are sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim Cares Foundation. Winners receive a medallion and $75.

• Mathematical Sciences: Ronik Malik
• Medicine & Health Sciences: Rania Malik 

4th Place Awards

The fourth place awards are sponsored by Westchester Academy of Medicine. The winners receive a medallion and $50.

• Biochemistry: Michael Barron
• Cellular & Molecular Biology: Isabella Jabbour
• Computer Science: Jiahe Liu
• Environmental Sciences: Yansi Foong
• Medicine & Health Sciences: Albert Li
• Medicine & Health Sciences: George Ishak
• Medicine & Health Sciences: Edward Major
• Physics & Astronomy: Anisha Musti

Honorable Mention Award

This award is sponsored by Carl Zeiss Microscopy. Each student receives a certificate and $25.

• Behavioral and Social Sciences: Rahman Ahmed

Today's Students, Tomorrow's Engineers Award

This $50 award is presented to students who exhibit the enthusiasm, desire and intellect to study engineering as evidenced by their project and presentation. Award recipients are deemed to have the aptitude to use their talents and gifts to engineer a better tomorrow.

Engineering Tomorrow encourages and supports these future engineers.

• Computer Science: Miriam Kim
• Physics and Astronomy: Anisha Musti

Teatown Young Environmentalist Award

This award, sponsored by Teatown Lake Reservation, is given to projects that aim to protect natural habitats and/or ecosystems. Students win $50.

• Plant Sciences: Vivien Wong

BASF Expanding Knowledge in Science Award

$50 will be awarded to students who exhibit excitement and an enthusiasm fordiscovery. This award is sponsored by BASF.

• Physics and Astronomy: David Barlow

Excellence in Medical Research Award

A certificate and $25 donated by Westchester Academy of Medicine will be awarded to projects that improve quality of life and make people healthier.

• Cellular and Molecular Biology: Daniel Lee
• Computational Bio/Bioinformatics: Rajan Sandhu

Innovations in Biological Sciences Research Award

A certificate and $25 will be awarded to outstanding projects in the biological sciences. This award was donated by WESEF alumni.

• Cellular and Molecular Biology: Jiya Singh

Ricoh Sustainable Development Award

Students receive a certificate for outstanding efforts in addressing issues of environmental responsibility and sustainable development.

• Engineering: Augustus Cai
• Environmental Sciences: Jana Shrestha