Ossining Student Wins Top Award in National Science Competition

Ossining High School senior Juliet Ivanov won first place in the Medicine & Health category at the 53rd National Junior Science & Humanities Symposium in Hunt Valley, Maryland, last week. Her research is focused on mitigating devastating side effects experienced by bone marrow transplant patients who are recovering from various blood cancers.

Juliet received a medal and a $12,000 scholarship, along with and all-expenses-paid trip to the Junior Science & Humanities Nationals from last Tuesday through Saturday.

“What Juliet has accomplished is extraordinary, and considering the amazing talent of the other competitors, it only helps to confirm that she is a rare talent indeed,” said Angelo Piccirillo, a teacher in the Fundamentals of Science Research program at Ossining High School.

This is the second year in a row that an Ossining High School student has received the top award in Medicine & Health category. The competition is designed to promote original research and experimentation in the sciences, engineering and math in high school. It is sponsored by the United States departments of the Air Force, Army and Navy.

Juliet is researching the promise of a specific protein, interleukin-22, in helping reduce the side effects suffered by bone marrow transplant patients. Her work has contributed to fighting a condition called graft-versus-host disease, in which donor cells attack the transplant patient’s body. She has submitted her paper for publication in the scientific, peer-reviewed journal “Nature.”

Juliet has conducted her research in the van den Brink and Hanash laboratories at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. She attributes much of her success to her mentor, Dr. Caroline Lindemans, a post-doctoral student with whom she has worked.

Earlier this year, Juliet was selected as a semifinalist in two of the country’s most prestigious national science competitions – the Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology and the Intel Science Talent Search. Later this month, she will attend the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, where more than 1,700 students from over 70 countries will compete for more than $5 million in prizes. Junior Michael Earle and senior Stephanie Becker will also attend the science fair.

“Juliet has already launched her successful start in medicine at the high school level and she is poised for many more great things to come as she prepares for the next leg of her educational career,” said Valerie Holmes, who also teaches the Fundamentals of Science Research program at the high school.

Two other Ossining High School students – Elizabeth Keeley and Christopher Gallego – were among the 230 students from around the country who attended the National Junior Science & Humanities Symposium. They were qualified to go based on their outstanding research presentations at the New York State Junior Science & Humanities Symposia earlier this year.