Three Half Hollow Hills Students Named Regional Finalists in Siemens Competition

Three students in the Half Hollow Hills Central School District have been named 2017 regional finalists in the prestigious Siemens Competition, the nation’s premier competition in math, science and technology for high school students. This is the third year in a row that Half Hollow Hills has fielded regional semifinalists, and last year Half Hollow Hills student Alice Wu went all the way to the national finals of the competition.

“The district invests heavily in our science program to foster and nurture an environment where students can develop the skills necessary to pursue success in research competitions like Siemens,” said Christian Fogarazzo, director of science for Half Hollow Hills. “It starts early in an elementary STEM curriculum that encourages scientific exploration, and develops into a robust high school research program, where dedicated science and math teachers attached to the program bridge connections to the collegiate research world to help their students grow and flourish.”

Congratulations to the Half Hollow Hills students who were recognized:

• Arooba Ahmed, Junior at Half Hollow Hills High School East
• Jiachen Lee, Junior at Half Hollow Hills High School East
• Jillian Parker, Junior at Half Hollow Hills High School West

“We are ecstatic to have been selected for this honor from a group of such competitive projects,” said Parker. “We are nervous for the next step, yet overjoyed and excited to see where our research will take us.”

The group’s submission investigated the role of a protein called CCDC11 during the process of cell division, and not only validated its presence in a structure called the midbody, which is only present in dividing cells, but they also mapped the regions of the protein that localize it to the midbody site. The protein they researched seems to have a significant, and previously unknown function, which could have relevance and impact in the field of medicine.

“Their project lead to the discovery of an entirely new function for a protein in human cell division that hadn’t been previously identified,” said Dr. Michael Lake, the academic research director at Half Hollow Hills. “It has potential ramifications in fighting cancer, neurodegenerative diseases and the spread of viruses.”

Every year, students submit innovative individual and team research projects to regional and national levels of competition as they vie for college scholarships ranging from $1,000 up to $100,000. This year out of the more than 1860 projects submitted, only 101 are recognized as regional finalists across the country. All regional finalists receive at least $1,000 in scholarship money while the 1st place individuals and teams from these regional competitions win $3,000 and $6,000, respectively.

This select group of regional finalist students and their notable projects are judged at six regional competitions virtually hosted over three consecutive weekends in November at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (November 3-4); University of Notre Dame (November 3-4); The University of Texas at Austin (November 10-11); California Institute of Technology (November 10-11); and Georgia Institute of Technology (November 17-18); and Carnegie Mellon University (November 17-18).

Winners of the regional events will advance to the National Finals to be held at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C., December 4-5, 2017, where $500,000 in scholarships will be awarded, including the two top prizes of $100,000 and one of the most prestigious science honors awarded to high school students in the country today.

“As a former research teacher at Half Hollow Hills High School East, I can certainly appreciate the sacrifice and hard work necessary to generate projects of this level of sophistication,” added Fogarazzo. “We are also very fortunate to have the expertise of Dr. Lake to help guide students along these challenging, intellectual journeys.”

The prize, launched by the Siemens Foundation in 1999, was established to increase access to higher education for students who are gifted in STEM and is based on the culture of innovation, research and educational support that is the hallmark of Siemens. This competition seeks to recognize and build a strong pipeline for the nation’s most promising scientists, engineers and mathematicians.

An education-oriented community with high academic expectations, the Half Hollow Hills Central School District is located in a residential area of 50,000 people in the central part of Long Island, approximately 40 miles from New York City. Providing for the education of more than 8,000 students, the school district has five elementary schools, two middle schools and two high schools. Half Hollow Hills High Schools are fully accredited by the New York State Department of Education and the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. The District is committed to providing students opportunities to excel in academics, athletics, and the arts.