Thursday, October 1, 2026
Students in Hewlett High School’s Science Research Program are expanding their knowledge at this year’s Long Island Science and Engineering Fair, a competition among students at more than 70 high schools.
At the fair, commonly known as LISEF, students present research on topics of their choice. Hewlett High senior Julia Igaunis and juniors Ella Findling and Valeria Paez Martinez, three of the seven students in the research program, are among the top 25 percent who advanced past the first round, which took place virtually in early February.
“To be able to show that these projects are distinguished and are being submitted for publications is important,” the school’s science research coordinator, Terrence Bissoondial, said.
Findling, 16, who will take part in a summer internship at the Feinstein Institute, the research home of Northwell Health in Manhasset, analyzed data on children with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, a condition caused by fat buildup that can lead to steatohepatitis, fibrosis and cirrhosis.
Studying seven young Northwell Health patients, Findling found that pediatric patients with the liver disorder and diabetes who were treated with Ozempic for at least four months showed significant reduction in hepatic steatosis and fibrosis. She also used a study on obese mice, from the National Library of Medicine, to explore how their genes were regulated when treated with Ozempic. Her findings suggest that the drug could improve metabolic regulation and reduce liver fat and fibrosis, potentially offering a different treatment option for children.
“The data is significant,” Bissoondial said. “This is a major finding by a high school student in terms of the analysis that we’ve done.”
Igaunis, 17, focused on a plant-based project, examining the relationship between DNA methylation, a method for controlling the expression of genes without changing them, and root hair development. She wanted to explore how plants could absorb more fertilizer and help the environment.
“We use a lot of fertilizer on plants,” Igaunis explained, “but only half of it actually gets absorbed. I wanted to see how we could decrease waste.”
Because longer root hairs correlate with increased absorption of nutrients from the soil, Igaunis used zebularine, which reduces DNA methylation on plants. Using a fern called Ceratopteris richardii, she was able to promote root hair development.
Thanks to her research at Hewlett, Igaunis has secured a spot in Stony Brook University’s honors program, and she hopes to pursue a career as a science researcher.
Joining Igaunis in a plant-based project is Paez Martinez, 17, who has her own interest in plants and wanted to do more research. “I just felt like most people don’t know what ferns are,” Paez Martinez said. “I think people should focus more on simpler plants that could help people understand ‘higher end’ plants.”
Paez Martinez, who will do a summer internship at Stony Brook studying plants, explored the regulatory mechanisms of phytochromes, special proteins that help control plant germination and growth.
While scientists understand how proteins work, there is less knowledge of how they function in ferns — the plant Paez Martinez also chose to study. Examining the genes that produce phytochromes in Ceratopteris richardii, she uncovered a new way in which one of the genes is controlled: alternative splicing, which allows a single gene to produce different versions of a protein.
Paez Martinez discovered this because a retrotransposon, or “jumping gene,” in the science world, inserted itself into the phytochrome-producing gene, changing its function. The findings establish a connection between retrotransposons and fern plant growth, which Bissoondial said was evolutionary, and Paez Martinez’s work was sent to Queens College for review by professors there.
While Paez Martinez, who is from Colombia, has a strong grasp on the “technical terms” of her project, Bissoondial said, her greatest challenge is being able to explain her findings in English. “I am so amazed at the level of work Victoria has done,” he said. “She has become an amazing speaker considering that she didn’t know English before 2018.”
In a statement, the district congratulated the students for their achievements and wished them success in the second round of LISEF and beyond. The first-place finishers in Round 2, which will take place March 12 at the Crest Hollow County Club in Woodbury, will compete at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair, in Phoenix, in May.
