Three students from Kennedy High School were named Regeneron Science Talent Search Scholars on Jan. 8.
Recognition as a Regeneron STS Scholars places Andrew Brinton, Kenar Gelman and Katherine St George among the top 300 brightest young scientists in the nation.
“This exceptional accomplishment has been earned in recognition of their scientific talent and development of outstanding independent scientific research projects,” explained Robert Soel, district science chairperson and STEM Education. “They have invested hundreds of hours over three years planning, conducting and analyzing their own scientific investigations while being mentored by cooperating scientists in fields of their own choosing.”
Brinton’s project is “Marsh Restoration: Ribbed Mussels (Geukensia demissa) as a Revival Mechanism to Rebuild the Coastal Salt Marshes of Long Island, New York;” Gelman’s project is “Chondrocyte Adenosine A2A receptor signaling leads to cellular homeostasis through activation of Protein Kinase A (PKA)” and St George’s is “The Ketogenic Diet Ameliorates The Effects of Caffeine in Seizure Susceptible Drosophila melanogaster.”
They are all seniors in Barbi Frank’s Advanced Science Research class, a three-year program, at Kennedy High School. Research teachers Barbara Franklin and Orquidea Afonso, as well as Soel, also assisted students with support throughout the program.
The Regeneron STS is the nation's most prestigious pre-college science competition. Each scholar, selected from 1,900 entrants, receives a $2,000 award with an additional $2,000 going to his or her respective school. The 40 finalists chosen to compete in Washington, D.C. in March will be announced in late January.