Local students awarded at L.I. Science Congress

Science research students from West Hempstead High School competed in the Long Island Science Congress at SUNY Farmingdale last month. The students all presented their projects to several judges describing their research, procedures, experimental findings and conclusions. Judges used a rubric of scientific criteria to choose award winners. Project proposals, scientific abstracts of their research and attractive display boards illustrating the scientific method were also required.

The Long Island Science Congress is a competition of science projects created by students of Nassau County and Suffolk County middle schools, junior high schools and senior high schools, sponsored by the Long Island Sections of the Science Teachers Association of New York State. More than 250 students from 40 schools participated in this event.

The following students received awards during the 2011 Long Island Science Congress:

• Moriah Benjoseph, Achievement Award
• Samantha Gambino, Achievement Award
• Maria Zambuto, Achievement Award
• Laura Boehm, Meritorious Award
• Maria Verderosa, Meritorious Award
• Jason Kappel, Honorable Mention

Steven Trezza and Chris McAvoy will be awarded higher awards at a special awards ceremony on May 23. The ceremony is in honor of the top winners of the fair. In addition, Chris McAvoy, has been chosen as a finalist to represent the highly competitive Long Island region at the New York State Science Congress in Albany, where he will present his project, titled “Biomimetic Wind Turbine Blade Design Efficiency.”