Thursday, October 1, 2026
“At its core, research is the process of turning curiosity into evidence,” Kristen Conklin-Kearney, the science research teacher at Long Beach High School, explained. The school hosted its annual Research Symposium on June 1, showcasing its research program.
In the past, the event focused on student research, displayed on posterboards in the high school’s upper commons area. This year, 26 students in grades eight through 12 created poster displays of work that ranged from global warming’s influence on hurricane landfall to potential improvements in administering intravenous lines in pediatric patients.
For the past three years, under Conklin-Kearney’s guidance, the symposium has more closely resembled a professional conference. Guest speakers have been invited to share their expertise. This year, Barry Udelson, an aquaculture specialist, gave a comprehensive presentation on his work with New York Sea Grant, based at Stony Brook University, which focuses on regrowing seagrass and maintaining and replenishing the region’s shellfish and finfish.
Recent symposiums have also given selected students an opportunity to present their research. This year, junior Sophia Stevenson and sophomore Karina Rios presented their work in the auditorium. Rios discussed her work investigating how the ADHD medication atomoxetine affects the digestive system. Stevenson researched the effects of cellphone radiation on red blood cells — and surprised the audience with statistically significant findings and video demonstrations.
Northwell Health presented a $2,500 check to Vaughn Briseno, Cassel Koss, Vanessa Maltez, Sydney Olivo, Victoria Simona and Aidan Tarsia, winners of the annual Northwell Health Youth Climate Challenge, which was open to schools on Staten Island and across Long Island. “Long Beach did extraordinary work,” Marina Pettinicchi, Northwell’s manager of outreach services, said. “They had six fabulous projects that really highlighted so many different topics that really impact climate change, and they proposed some great solutions.”
The challenge, Pettinicchi noted, wasn’t merely theoretical: The students’ work may move forward to be implemented. “We’re working with them to see if we can utilize the work,” she said, “and connect them with different community members and professionals within the Northwell system to see if we can make that come to life for them.”
Conklin-Kearney explained that the money would be used to expand the department’s lab with versatile equipment that can benefit many more student researchers, rather than investing in a specialized piece of equipment with narrowly focused use.
A brief presentation reviewed the year’s competitive achievements of students who were recognized regionally, at the Long Island Science Congress and the Long Island Science and Engineering Fair; statewide, at the New York State Science and Engineering Fair; nationally, at the Thermo Fisher Junior Innovators Challenge; and globally, at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair.
Plaques were presented to winners of the Long Island Youth Summit, which took place in April. Students submitted research papers in a range of categories, and made presentations to a panel of professors at St. Joseph’s University, in Patchogue. Briseno and Tarsia were recognized for their paper on climate science. Sydney Bergstein won for researching mental health and social media, Rylee Varian won in the ethical and social implications for science and technology category, and Karina Rios won for the best overall research paper.
Maltez, a senior who has been in the research program since she was a sophomore and is headed to Brown University, where she plans to major in biochemistry, offered some advice to upcoming student researchers. “A big focus of our program is on winning competitions — when you bring home a trophy or a plaque or get a monetary award,” she said. “But a lot of the experiences we have, like getting to present in front of real professors and really experience what university lab culture is like, are really important. Just make sure that you don’t miss those types of lessons when you’re able to do them.”
Science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, education is on an upswing throughout the school district. With a well-established research department, experienced instructors and a slate of recurring competitive events, students have a wide range of opportunities to gauge their interest in the field. And those opportunities continue to grow.
“It is thriving — we’re expanding,” the district’s Science Director, Cristie Tursi, said. “We added eighth-grade science research two years ago, and we’re adding seventh-grade inquiry and discovery. We feel like if we can really start to build momentum in middle school, then it’ll feed right on up.”
