New Rochelle HS Has 9 Genius Olympiad Finalists

NEW ROCHELLE, NY —This year's Genius Olympiad is reminding everyone what people in New Rochelle have known for a while — New Rochelle's young people are among the brightest in the world.

New Rochelle High School has nine Science Research Program students selected as 2022 Genius Finalists in the international Genius Olympiad.

In addition to Anna Barliss, who previously qualified as a finalist after winning a grand prize at the Westchester Science and Engineering Fair, Izzy Balachandran, Anthony D'Amato, Ella Harshman, Natalia McMorris, Andy Nunez, Andrew Rittenberg, Aviva Segal and Julia Yang were selected as well.

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“Our outstanding science research students continue to excel, this time showcasing their scientific talents on a worldwide stage,” said Director of the Science Research Program, Jeff Wuebber.

Isabelle Balachandran's project was titled "Combinatorial Approach of Experimental and Systems Biology in Multi Indication Drug Discovery Efforts Targeting KIF19."

Anthony D'Amato's research addressed the "Impact of Thermoelectric Effects on Shunt-Based Current Measurements."

Ella Harshman's research involved "Assessing the Relationship Between Villus Packing Density in the Placenta and Autism Spectrum Disorder"

Natalia McMorris worked on "Gene Expression Analyzing Coregulated Genes and their Correlation with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Using DEAR Analysis." McMorris said, "Being a Genius Olympiad finalist is the perfect end to my time in science research. All of my hard work for the past three years has paid off and I am grateful for the opportunity to display my hard work!"

Andres Nunez researched the "Synthesis and Study of Fluorescent Antibody Conjugates" and he said, "As a finalist from last year, I’m extremely grateful and excited to be a finalist again this year!"

Andrew Rittenberg's project was called "Validity of Simulated Microgravity Data on Zebrafish Embryos to Human Data Using Transcriptomics and Data Analysis." He said “I'm so glad that I was chosen as a finalist for Genius Olympiad and feel so thankful that I was able to get the guidance and help that I needed from Mr. Wuebber to push me the extra steps to work hard and place as a finalist. The Science Research Program at the high school has really enabled me to do my best work and I'm super proud of myself and my fellow classmates who also placed. I'm excited to see what the future holds for us as a young generation of scientists!”

Aviva Segal worked on the "Impact of Manganese Exposure on the Development of the Atlantic Horseshoe Crab Limulus Polyphemus." Segal said, “It's an incredible honor to be selected to compete in such a prestigious competition, and I'm so excited to present my project. The horseshoe crab is such an important organism, so I am thrilled to be able to promote its significance at this competition. Its population decline as a result of anthropogenic activities is a major problem that impacts both its ecosystem and human health. Understanding this issue is critical to conserving the horseshoe crab population, and I'm so excited to have the opportunity to raise awareness through this competition.”

Julia Yang studied "Helping to Make Blood Characterization of the Erythroid Specific Macrophage" and she said, “I’m excited and thankful to have been chosen as a finalist!”

Projects were submitted by students from 57 countries and 35 states. According to New Rochelle High School, they had the sixth-highest number of projects submitted from all high schools on the planet. The Olympiad is held virtually, and winners will receive scholarships. Final winners will be announced on June 18.

The Genius Olympiad was created to promote global understanding of environmental issues and the achievement of sustainability through basic science, arts, creative writing, engineering, design, and business development. It instills skills and knowledge for contestants to be the leaders, scientists, artists, writers, engineers, and policy makers of the future. GENIUS is an abbreviation of Global Environmental Issues and Us, and is sponsored by the Rochester Institute of Technology and Terra Science and Education, a nonprofit organization that advances education. Additional information can be found here.