A scientific summer for Seaford senior

Seaford High School senior Lauren King moved one step closer to achieving her dream of becoming a scientist by participating in Brookhaven National Laboratory’s High School Research Program this summer, according to a release put out by the school district.

Lauren took part in a rigorous and highly-competitive six-week internship for students interested in pursuing STEM careers — science, technology, engineering and mathematics, according to the release. She spent five days a week, eight and a half hours a day, working with some of the top scientists in the region studying nuclear science and technology. Specifically, her research focused on high-precision gamma ray spectroscopy of arsenic in which she analyzed data from an experiment performed at a different laboratory to find potential medical uses for the chemical element in PET imaging. Her internship concluded with a presentation on her findings.

“It was a real experience and I definitely learned a lot,” said Lauren, who hopes to study nuclear engineering in the future. “The best part was building a relationship with my mentor.”

Lauren learned about the internship last summer when she attended Summer Sundays at Brookhaven, a series of programs that allows visitors to tour the facilities, attend presentations and speak with scientists.

At Seaford High School, she has taken several Advanced Placement science courses and is a member of the robotics team.

Lauren is also a girl scout and in July, she was awarded the Gold Award, the highest honor in girls’ scouting. Her Gold Award-winning project was called: “I’ve Got the Music in Me.” After noticing the lack of students enrolling in music classes in her local schools, Lauren created a mentoring program where the middle school students work with the Seaford High School Music Honor Society students on a weekly basis. At the end of the program, the students performed in concerts and solo competitions. Lauren’s program has been adopted by the Tri-M Music Honor Society. Lauren is also active on the school marching band and Key Club, and is a member of the varsity field hockey team.