Intel Semifinalists From Great Neck Honored at Town Hall Meeting

Three students from Great Neck were honored at a Town Board meeting in late February for being named semifinalists in the Intel Science Talent Search.

The students were among 10 semifinalists from eight North Hempstead schools who received this prestigious honor. These students account for three percent of the 300 semifinalists nationwide.

Congratulations to:

• Graelin Mandel, of Great Neck North High School, whose project title is, "An fNIRS Comparison of Cross-brain Coherence during Spoken Dialogue and Text-based Chatting"
• Oliva Descorbeth, of Great Neck North High School, whose project title is, "Social Class and Interpersonal Communication: fNIRS Hyperscanning Reveals Neural Differences during Dialogue Between Pairs of Individuals with Low and High Socioeconomic Disparities"
• Emily Bae, of Great Neck South High School, whose project title is, "Determining the Contribution of Uropathogenic Proteus mirabilis Virulence-associated Fimbriae to in vitro Fitness"

Other students honored were:

• Vikram Krishnamoorthry— Herricks High School
• Sabreen Bhuiya— Herricks High School
• Ayesha Chhugani— Herricks High School
• E. Madeline Fagen—Paul D. Schreiber High School
• Emma Feldman— Paul D. Schreiber High School
• Nathan Yang— Roslyn High School
• Krista Chen— The Wheatley School

The Intel STS is the nation’s most prestigious science research competition for high school seniors. The competition requires students to present original research to nationally recognized scientists.

Dozens of family members, administration and faculty were at the Feb. 23 meeting and watched Supervisor Judi Bosworth present the students certificates of recognition. The students then briefly explained their innovative projects.

“[The Intel semifinalist ceremony] is one of my favorite nights of the year as we have the opportunity to honor our brightest and most creative students in the Town of North Hempstead,” Bosworth said in a press release. “Congratulations to all the students, and to the faculty, administration, and parents for all their support along the way.”

Photos via TONH

1. Group shot of all winners: (Front Row, from L to R): Vikram Krishnamoorthry, Nathan Yang, Sabreen Bhuiya, Ayesha Chhugani, Graelin Mandel, Emily Bae, E. Madeline Fagen, and Emma Feldman. Back row (from L to R): Council Member Angelo Ferrara, Council Member Peter Zuckerman, Council Member Anna Kaplan, Council Member Viviana Russell, Supervisor Judi Bosworth, Council Member Lee Seeman, Town Clerk Wayne Wink, Council Member Dina De Giorgio, and Receiver of Taxes Charles Berman.
2. Graelin Mandel
3. Oliva Descorbeth
4. Emily Bae