Northport HS Student Finishes 1st At New York State Science Congress

NORTHPORT, NY — Vivienne Cierski, a student at Northport High School, appears to have a bright future in the science field.

Cierski earned the highest honors in the junior division of the Long Island Science Congress last month, according to the Northport-East Northport School District. As a result, she was chosen to compete in the New York State Science Congress, held on Saturday at the Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science and Technology (MOST) in Syracuse.

This is the premier NYS science research competition, and Cierski's science research project titled ‘The Impact of Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes on Glycine max Growth & Health’ earned her one of only two first place, highest honor awards in the junior division.

Cierski's research hypothesized that increasing the concentration of environmentally-friendly carbon nanotubes in soybean plants would support overall growth and health. In the Northport High School greenhouse, she measured plant height daily and monitored plant health by using a leaf spectrometer to assess greenness and chlorophyll content. The results seek to inform the agricultural community of the potential benefits of multi-walled carbon nanotubes.

Northport-East Northport Chairperson of Science and Technology David Storch noted Vivienne’s “phenomenal result” and said that the Northport High School science research program “continues to thrive as our students work in collaboration with content specialists and coordinators supporting advanced experimentation in the life and physical sciences!”