WVHS Science Research Program wraps up the year with annual symposium

Eleven students in the Warwick Valley High School University in the High School Science Research Program presented their final research projects on Wednesday evening, June 4, during the WVHS Science Research Symposium. For seven of the 11 students (members of the Class of 2025) the evening marked the culmination of three years of rigorous research and refinement that began in their sophomore years. The program is led by WVHS science teacher Kristin Touw.

See a gallery from the event below this story.

The WVHS Science Research Program provides students with the opportunity to be active participants in the scientific research community, engaging in authentic research of their own design. The program is recognized by the NYS Board of Regents and is offered in partnership with SUNY Albany. Over the program’s three years, students not only develop advanced research skills, but life skills such as problem solving, critical thinking, communication, time management, and public speaking. The final year culminates in the completion and presentation of a long-term project.

"Watching my research students grow from having basic skills and many questions, into refined academic presenters, could be described as the most rewarding experience of my teaching career," Ms. Touw said. "Their hard work, bravery, intelligence, and strength are truly inspiring. This is only the beginning of successful endeavors for these students, and I am honored to have been a part of the journey."

For the symposium, students set up their research presentations in the high school media center. Attendees made their way through, table by table, asking the students questions -- from general to detailed inquiries --  about their topics, processes and findings. The large crowd was made up of district administrators and faculty, program mentors, friends and family. Along with the media center exhibition, there were classroom sessions during which each  of the seven seniors gave in-depth presentations of their research.

SCIENCE RESEARCH SENIORS

Reese Berman
Topic: Stress in Secondary Scholars
Mentor: Dr. Mark Leary, Duke University

Reese conducted her questionnaire to investigate her hypothesis: Students who take a greater number of AP classes experience more amounts of stress and lower life satisfaction. She is eager to present the correlation and relationship she found between college class enrollment and life satisfaction. Outside of the research class Reese is a Summa Cum Laude student who is an avid member of Spanish Club, Interact Club, SADD Club as well as a member of the National Honors Society. She has also been a member of the Varsity Ski team for six years and the Varsity Tennis team. For recreation she enjoys skiing with her friends in Vermont, coaching future generations of skiers and spending time with her family. Reese will be attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison and she is ecstatic to be pursuing finance and accounting.

 

Ashley Fitzgerald
Topic: Potential Disease Prevention of Epilepsy via Therapeutic Use of Adenosine in the Brain
Mentor: Dr. Detlev Boison, PhD, Department of Neurosurgery, Rutgers University

Ashley's hypothesis states: Ketogenic diet affects DNA methylation through an adenosine pathway and therefore has the potential to prevent epilepsy. She conducted a systematic review using her mentor's literature, as well as peer-reviewed resources she found through collegiate search engines. She will be presenting the correlations between five mechanisms of proof using biological pathway maps. She found inspiration for this topic from her brother, Ryan, who has epilepsy. Outside of the research class, Ashley is a Summa Cum Laude student who challenged herself with five AP courses and four duel enrollments (including her three years in the Science Research Program). She is Vice President of the National Honor Society, a member of Mu Alpha Theta Math Honor Society, and avidly partakes in Interact Club, Spanish Club, and the SADD Club of WVHS. She is also a 4-year Class of 2025 elected senator for the WVHS Student Senate. She enjoys her time outdoors with teammates as a member of the Varsity Soccer and Track & Field teams. For recreation, she enjoys participating in the Junior EMS Corps, volunteering as a buddy for her brother with Beautiful People Adaptive Sports and Unified Sports, lifeguarding, coaching her rec soccer and track teams, and more. Ashley is beyond thrilled to be attending the University of Delaware in the fall where she will be majoring in Medical Diagnostics-Pre Physician Assistant, and will be minoring in Spanish. She would like to thank her parents, Ms. Touw and Dr. Boison for their support over the past three years in this course.

Ashley's advice for Science Research students: Pick a topic that is feasible to research as a high school student. Learn the facts of your topic and use them to help your presentation confidence. Choosing a topic, you are passionate about is a great way to make the class intriguing and exciting over the 3 years!

 

Olivia Martino
Topic: Depression and Anxiety in Patients with Acne
Mentor: Dr. Rashek Kazi - Dermatologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Olivia conducted a systematic review using her mentor's provided literature as well as peer-reviewed resources through collegiate search engines. Her hypothesis states: Adolescents with acne are more prone to developing depression and anxiety than adolescents with no acne. She will be presenting her systematic review on acne and the correlation it has to depression and anxiety. Olivia found inspiration for this topic as she has struggled with acne throughout high school. Outside of the research class, Olivia is a Summa Cum Laude student and is in the top 5% of her class. She has taken five AP courses throughout her high school career, as well as 6 dual enrollment collegiate courses (including her three years in the Science Research Program). She is the 2025 OCIAA Female Student Scholar Athlete of the Year Recipient. She is a member of the Varsity Cheer Team and has been the four-year Varsity Softball Captain. Olivia has over 100 community service hours and is an active member in the community. She volunteers in her community through Warwick Softball Little League, Warwick Humane Society, 200 club dinner, Saint Stephens Religious Education Church Summer Program, OC Bombers pitching clinics, and more. Outside of school, she works at C&Ds Old World Bagels, Mount Peter Mountain School, and instructs pitching lessons. Olivia is thrilled to be attending the University of Florida in the fall as a biology major. She would like to thank her parents, Mrs. Touw, and Dr. Rashek Kazi for their support over the past 3 years for this course.

Olivia's advice for Science Research students: Choose a topic you are interested in and want to research. It is important to manage your time wisely and use all the resources agar provided to you by UAlbany. Ask questions and have fun!

 

Angie Ortiz
Topic: Correlation Between Field and Controlled Environments on Winter Survival in Winter Pea
Mentor: Dr. Solveig Hanson, PhD., Moore Lab, Cornell University

Angie worked with Dr. Solveig Hanson from Cornell University to research winter temperature tolerance in winter pea plants throughout the United States. She took field data and indoor growth chamber data from commercial winter pea lines grown at Cornell and calculated statistical significance of the VST correlation between those factors. Angie found a passion for agricultural science through her love of learning about America's staple crops. At WVHS, Angie is the president of Book Club, frequents the Future Farmers of America Club, and enjoys attending Debate Club. She is a member of the Warwick Chapter of the National Honors Society, and has taken numerous college-level courses, including both AP classes and dual-enrollment courses. Despite her academic and job workload, she has continuously demonstrated a love for volunteer service across all four years, culminating in almost 200 hours of service. In her free time, Angie enjoys reading and listening to music. This fall she will attend Cornell University and major in Plant 200 Science (with plans to double major). Additionally, she will continue her work in laboratories and research spaces. Overall, Angie hopes that her education will lead to a career in agriculture and its current position in government policy. She would like to wholly thank her family, Dr. Hanson, and all of the teachers who have supported her throughout her research journey.

Angie's advice for Science Research students: Any help is good help!

 

Caroline Rourke
Topic: Assessment of the Public's Perception of the usage of CRISPR Technology
Mentor: Dr. Evan Merkhofer, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Biology at Mount Saint Mary College

Caroline Rourke conducted a survey-based study assessing exposure levels to CRISPR technology and how that may influence respondents' acceptance of this groundbreaking innovation. Using a combination of peer-reviewed resources and guidance from her mentor, Caroline explored public perception of CRISPR through statistical analysis and research-based discussions. Her dedication to this topic stems from her interest in the societal and ethical implications of emerging technologies. Outside of the research class, she has excelled academically, balancing rigorous coursework with a variety of extracurricular activities. Caroline has served as President of both the Interact Club and the Global Engagement Club, where she led initiatives to foster community service and cultural awareness. She is also a member of the National Honor Society where she serves as tutoring coordinator and is a member of Mu Alpha Theta Math Honor Society as well. Looking ahead, Caroline is excited to apply her passion for chemical engineering and research to address global challenges and create innovative solutions. She will be attending the University of Connecticut in the fall, where she will major in Chemical Engineering. She would like to thank her parents, teachers, and mentors for their support and guidance throughout her high school journey.

 

Abby Kadus
Topic: The Effect of Regular Caffeine Consumption on Adolescent Sleep Habits
Mentor: Dr. Arturo Arrona-Palacios, Ph.D., Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical

Abby Kadus conducted her research on sleep and caffeine in teenagers, hypothesizing that adolescents who consume caffeinated beverages will sleep less and have a worse quality of sleep compared to those who consume little to no caffeine, with more of an effect on the evening consumers. She distributed a survey to close to 200 students in the high school in order to gain the data to carry out her research project.
Abby is a Summa Cum Laude student and is in the top 1% of her class. She has been the treasurer of her class for all four years of high school. She has the role of treasurer in the National Honor Society. She is a part of the varsity tennis and basketball teams, and is a captain of the lacrosse team. She is also honored as a four year Academic All American and Scholar Athlete. Outside of school, Abby spends much of her free time volunteering and spending time with her family and friends. As for her future plans, Abby plans to attend Rowan University, where she will play lacrosse at the collegiate level. She is excited to study biology and embark on a pre med track, as a part of their honors college. Lastly, she would like to thank Mrs. Touw, as well as her family and friends for the tremendous support throughout this process.

Abigail's advice for Science Research students: Pick a topic you enjoy and work hard throughout the whole year. Make sure to stay on top of all of your tasks and manage your time wisely. Most of all, have fun!

 

Evan Grundfast
Topic: The Impact of Age on Progression of Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease: An Analysis of Primary Data
Mentor(s): Dr. David Jaeger, M.D., Ph.D., Neurology of Crystal Run Healthcare

Evan is currently studying the incidence and duration of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease in aging populations. Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease is a human prion disease, which is invariably fatal and causes dementia/neurodegeneration. Evan is a Summa Cum Laude student who is a member of Model United Nations, Mu Alpha Theta and is the president of the National Honor Society. Evan is graduating as valedictorian of his class, and was a finalist in the National Merit Scholarship Competition. He has also been captain of the varsity tennis team for three years, and has participated in the Orange County counties tournament in doubles. Evan also enjoys playing the drums in his free time. Evan is set to attend Swarthmore College, a prestigious liberal arts college located just outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the fall, and will be on the pre-med track, double majoring in biology and economics, with a minor in business.

Evan's advice for Science Research students: Remember the scope of your research. It's always great to think big, but gauge your expectations, as it is not realistic to be conducting full scale research on the high school level. You can make much better use of your time if you first understand the criteria and limitations that you must work within.
 

 

OTHER CURRENT SCIENCE RESEARCH STUDENTS

James Curtis
Topic: Exoplanet Transits
Mentor: Dr. Neil Comins, Ph.D., Professor at University of Maine

Hannah Thomas
Topic: Relationship Between Dermatitis and Staphylococcus Aureus
Mentor: Liam Peterson, PH.D Graduate Student Researcher

Natalie Eger
Topic: Impact of Electronics on Sleep Variability in Adolescents
Mentor: Dr. Gina Mathew, Ph.D., Senior Postdoctoral Associate in the Public Health Division of Stony Brook University

Harrison Piskadlo
Topic: Microplastics in fish and how they affect gamete production
Mentor: Mark Bertness

 

To complete the Science Research Program, participating students must:

• Select and investigate a topic of interest
• Find a mentor and communicate with professionals
• Develop skills in research protocol
• Read and summarize peer reviewed journal articles and critique professional scientific papers
• Practice formal presentations of peer reviewed articles or independent research
• Maintain a professional laboratory notebook
• Build a scientific portfolio
• Design and conduct original research
• Discuss and analyze results at symposia
• Write a final research paper
• The Science Research course, a component of the University in the High School program, is offered through SUNY Albany. Science Research is a three-year program that provides high school students with the opportunity to participate in the scientific research community by engaging in authentic research of their own design. This unique experience is recognized by the New York State Board of Regents.

 

You can read more about the opportunities and benefits of the Science Research Program here.