Ossining Students Take Home Top Awards from Intel International Science & Engineering Fair

Ossining students, Ari Kanevsky , Alyson Winter and Abigail Kamen took home top awards at Intel International Science & Engineering Fair (ISEF), the “superbowl of science fairs” which was held last week in sunny Los Angeles, CA.  More than 1,780 students travelled from over 70 countries to showcase their scientific investigations and compete for the more than $5 million in awards. 

Ari Kanevsky, an Ossining High School junior, used technologies employed for speech recognition in a novel application to automate the process of monitoring blood flow following vascular microsurgery.  His patent pending work has the potential to update existing technologies in medicine, alleviate the demands placed on medical practitioners, and save the lives of individuals who suffer from tissue graft failures following surgery.  Ari was awarded first place in the Grand Awards Ceremony at Intel ISEF which included $3000 cash award, a certificate and a ribbon.

Alyson Winter and Abigail Kamen, Ossining seniors, worked together to investigate the psychosocial impacts following breast cancer treatment among minority populations in the Bronx.  Their research elucidated the importance of family, religion and social support in maintaining a strong positive outlook during the recovery process. 

They also revealed the discrepancy between patient and medical provider attitudes about the cognitive decline that follows chemotherapy, commonly known as “chemo fog”.  Patients were distraught over their decreased mental acuity, but doctors/ nurses remain generally dismissive of the magnitude of this problem which can last for up to 10 years following treatment.  Alyson & Abigail received 4th place ($500) in the category of Behavioral and Social Sciences at Intel ISEF.

Attending as a returning participant was senior Adam Illowsky who had previously received 3rd place in Behavioral Science for his team project with alumna Catharine Conte in 2012.  This year Adam presented his independent research that he conducted at Columbia University investigating the role of genetics in Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), the disease that has been linked to concussive impacts commonly experienced by professional athletes. 

His work is the first to demonstrate that genetics do in fact play a role, predisposing some while protecting others against the onset of this debilitating disease.  Adam has been recognized as the first place in the category of Medicine at the national Junior Science and Humanities Symposium held this year in Washington, DC where he was awarded $1000.

Additionally, Ossining senior Ben Ross presented his research in the category of Earth and Planetary Sciences; his research explored the potential for wind turbine placement in the urban setting.  He conducted a thorough analysis of wind flow patterns in a model city, Hoboken, NJ, and determined optimal locations for installing small-scale turbines as alternative energy resources to decrease dependency on petroleum-based energy production.  Ben was rewarded for his research efforts in the Intel ISEF Special Awards Ceremony where he was awarded the Society for Exploratory Geophysicists Award of Merit which included a $500 cash award.

In total, 17 local student researchers were selected in March from more than 350 projects at the Westchester Science & Engineering Fair (WESEF) as top finalists to represent Westchester & Putnam counties at Intel ISEF in Los Angeles.  Thanks to the generous donation of WESEF’s title sponsor, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, the trip including airfare, housing, activities and meals were fully provided.

As part of this week-long event, students got to meet Nobel prize winners and future scientists from across the world, forge friendships and spark in depth conversations about the work they have done, and unwind with exciting student mixer events including an all-expenses paid evening at Universal Studios. 

“Congratulations are due to these outstanding students,” said Valerie Holmes, who teaches the science research course along with Angelo Piccirillo.  “It is exciting to follow the success of these talented young scientists. It demonstrates promise for a bright future as these students will continue to take on challenging problems with the attitude that nothing is impossible.”