Schools
OHS Seniors Take Top Spots at STEM Competition, Advance to Nationals
Sarah Jennings and Samara Davis win 1st and 2nd place respectively at the Upstate NY Junior Science & Humanities Symposium.
Ossining High School seniors Sarah Jennings and Samara Davis have achieved top honors, finishing 1st and 2nd overall at the Upstate New York Junior Science & Humanities Symposium (JSHS). The competition, held on March 8th and 9th at SUNY Albany, saw participants from across the state perform original research, present findings, and showcase their projects in the categories of science, technology engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
Sarah and Samara both excelled in the science research category, impressing judges with their innovative projects and thorough research. As the top performer, Sarah received a cash prize of $2000, while Samara earned $1500 for her impressive performance.
“We were so happy to return to a live in-person state finals, first since 2019 because of the pandemic,” said Valerie Holmes, OHS Science Teacher and Co-Director of the Science Research Program. “We very much appreciate the staff at SUNY Albany for their endless effort to promote science research at the high school level. What our students accomplished is indeed special, where both New York's representatives at the National competition will be from the same high school.”
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Angelo Piccirillo, OHS Science Teacher and Co-Director of the Science Research Program, said that Sarah's research provides novel insight into a root cause of mitochondrial dysfunction, and Samara's eDNA research is contributing new genetic references for amphibians that, prior to her research, did not exist.
"This is an amazing achievement, and it is important to remember that these students began competing in a pool of over 500 students, and to have the top two come from Ossining is truly remarkable,” added Mr. Piccirillo. “We are once again so lucky to have students at this early age making a difference at this level.”
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JSHS is a Department of Defense sponsored program that promotes research and experimentation at the high school level and supports students’ future STEM pursuits through scholarships and recognition.
The National Symposium will be held on April 12-15, 2023, in Virginia Beach, Virginia. A total of $192,000 in undergraduate tuition scholarships will be presented to the top three finalists in the research paper oral competition in each subject category.
