By Robert Remler
VS student wins Intel honor
Shanikki Ferguson semifinalist in national science competition
The smile never faded from Shanikki Ferguson's face while a photographer snapped pictures, and with good reason.
Last week, Shanikki, a senior at Valley Stream's South High School, was named as the district's only semifinalist in this year's Intel contest.
In achieving the honor, she became Valley Stream's first African-American semifinalist, the district's first female winner and the youngest out of 66 winners on Long Island.
She will learn in March if she is one of 40 finalists nationwide eligible for additional scholarship money sponsored by Intel, the computer chip manufacturer.
The Intel program - once known as the Westinghouse competition - is a nationwide research science contest that challenges students to undertake serious scientific investigations under the close guidance of professionals and experts in
specific fields of complex study.
Long Island claimed 22 percent of the 300 semifinalist winners nationwide, and 43 percent of the 154 New York State semifinalists.
Though overwhelmed by the sudden attention, Shanikki gave no sign of resting on her laurels. Expenses needed to be paid and Advance Placement exams are soon, she said. She also was not about to give up her involvement on the school's track and field team, on which she throws shot put. Nor was she going to let the recognition stop her from singing at the Valley Stream Presbyterian Church on Sundays.
"At first the project was fun," she said. "The second year got more serious." At times, she wanted to give up, but decided to persevere.
"The Effects of Melphalan-based High Dose Therapy, with and without Cyclophosphamide, on Accelerated Telomere Shortening after Chemotherapy" is the official title of her three-year project. Her research compared the effectiveness of drugs and their side effects on cancer treatment.
She spent 196 hours working in a laboratory at the Rockefeller Research Center of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Center in Manhattan between July 12 and Aug. 24 . She was driven to the laboratory by her parents, Carol and Errol Ferguson. Their chauffeuring duties also included drives to the library at Hofstra University and the New York Public Library on Fifth Avenue. In her acknowledgment section of her 20-page report, she closed with a tribute to her parents:
"...for always being there whenever I needed support and even when I didn't."
Summer in the laboratory did not bother the tall, attractive, slender young woman with the perpetual smile. The time was an investment that will bring rewards in the future, she said. Working alongside Dr. Malcolm Moore, and his staff of 20 at Sloan-Kettering, was just like having a regular job, she said.
Dr. Moore - the director of the Rockefeller Research Center - mentored Shanikki because he was impressed with the time she spent on her research proposal. Her application was selected from half a dozen others.
"She had written this wonderful research proposal to study the effects of chemotherapy and bone marrow...the idea was to measure the biological clock that is present in normal cells," Dr. Moore said. "I was very impressed because this was exactly like a project I was carrying out in my own lab. She had obviously done research to find out where this kind of work was undertaken."
Dr. Moore realized that she was more prepared than other applicants. Many students approach mentors and ask them to suggest a research topic, he said.
"Shanikki came to understand that research is a big, complex task involving interaction with many different people," he said. She quickly learned how to participate in a complex scientific investigation. "She learned 99 percent of research is perspiration and one percent is inspiration."
Dr. Moore envisions Shanikki eventually involved in academic medicine. He sees her as belonging to the next generation of leaders in biological sciences.
Others view Shanikki "just as a wonderful person." Dr. Stephen Lando, her school principal, was not totally surprised by the recognition she received. Between her and Michael Charles, the other contestant from South, he expected at least one student to earn recognition.
Dr. Lando said her accomplishment was the result of "the passionate commitment of many people...but especially on the part of students who achieve recognition...She is the one who deserves the nod."
Jeanette Azzaretto, in her fifth year at South, served as Shanikki's advisor for the past three years. This was her first experience with preparing a student for the competition. Azzaretto said her involvement in the project was motivated by the chance to do "real hard science." A Hofstra University graduate with a degree in geology, she said that Shanikki was very cooperative throughout the project.
Now that one semifinalist's name is added to her resume, Azzaretto does not plan to change teaching methods. "This demonstrates that it can be accomplished," she said.
