By REBECCA SHALOMOFF
LHS rakes in Intel honors
6 seniors rank among science elite nationwide
Six Lawrence High School seniors have carried on what has become an annual tradition at the school, being named semifinalists in the prestigious Intel Science Talent Search and proving once again that Lawrence is a gold mine for scientific research.
Lawrence had the second most semifinalists in Nassau County - only Great Neck North High School had more - and was the only school in the Five Towns to have any. The semifinalists are Eno Agyapong, Lori Benjamin, Eric Blaustein, Joel Gedalius, Allison Lipitz and Yehuda Edo Paz.
Semifinalists are awarded $1,000 in recognition of their scientific achievements, and their schools receive $1,000 per semifinalist to be used in support of the school's science and math programs. Funding is provided through Intel, the world's largest maker of computer chips.
This year's 40 finalists will be chosen and announced on Wednesday, Jan. 31. The finalists will take an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., to attend the Science Talent Institute, where they will participate in final judging and compete for college scholarships totaling $530,000. The overall winners, who will be named on Monday, March 12, will be selected based on rigorous interviews.
Early on the morning of Jan. 17, students gathered in the office of Principal Dr. Steven Kussin, awaiting the results, checking the Web site obsessively until the names of the 2001 winners appeared.
"I was so excited and surprised," said Allison Lipitz, a Nassau Herald teen columnist. Her project, "Arts and Smarts: Relationship between Art Participation, Motivation Level and Academic Performance," grew out of her interest in the arts and how it relates to performance on scholastic tests. The Intel Science Talent Search, formerly known as Westinghouse, is America's oldest and most prestigious pre-collegiate science competition, often referred to as the "Junior Nobel Prize." Of the more than 1,500 applications nationwide, only 300 students earned semifinalist status. Long Island schools' 66 semifinalists surpassed New York City by one.
"We're absolutely exhilarated," Dr. Kussin said of the students' success. "This is what happens when you put together highly motivated kids with incredibly dedicated teachers and a supportive and encouraging central office and board of education."
Intel provides an opportunity for high school students to investigate particular, and often challenging, areas of interest with the goal of designing independent research projects. The rule is that the projects can't be longer than 20 pages and must consist of an experiment that involves a hypothesis that relies on surveys. Many students begin working on their projects in middle school.
This year, Lawrence students submitted 10 projects to the competition in the science, social sciences and math divisions, with the help of advisers Wayne Seyfert, Stephen Sullivan and Eugene Vetter, respectively.
Throughout the years, Lawrence has been an Intel powerhouse, securing 36 semifinalist awards since 1996. Six students so far have gone on to claim scholarship money for being finalists.
"Competitions like the Intel STS have really raised the bar on inquiry-based education," Sullivan said. "Most, if not all, of the non-winning projects we entered this year would have been selected as semifinalists as recently as three to four years ago. This proves that when challenged, teens can produce remarkable work. It is only when they feel comfortable, respected and challenged that they will shine brighter than any of us ever imagined. They usually surprise themselves."
Lawrence students studied a range of subjects for the contest. Eric Blaustein investigated the function of the right hemisphere of the brain in learning-disabled children. Lori Benjamin completed a four-year social science behavioral study on "Psychosocial Adaptation By Children of Familial Short Stature." She was interested in finding out if it is more difficult for a short child than a taller peer to lead a normal life.
Eno Agyapong's study grew out of her interest in speech and language. She looked at the effects of gender and family history on individuals who stutter. Joel Gedalius studied temperature discrepancies in the Antarctic, while Yehuda Edo Paz investigated decision-making processes among adolescents and their parents.
"It's very rewarding and exciting," Yehuda said about his accomplishment. "I had great help from my teachers, family and friends. It was hard work that paid off."
Students were judged on their research ability, scientific originality and creative thinking. All entries were reviewed and judged by top scientists from a variety of disciplines.
