Riverhead High School Students Visit Brookhaven National Laboratory

Riverhead High School science teacher Lance Mion, who teaches the Science Research Class, and High School Library Media Specialist Kim McGurk, accompanied four students to Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton last month.

For 25 years, Brookhaven National Laboratory’s Research Library has hosted high school students, librarians and science teachers from local high schools for the Laboratory’s “Partners in Science” program.

The Research Library co-sponsors this program with the Eastern Suffolk BOCES School Library System to encourage scholarship in science and math through the use of reference and research materials not readily available in school or public library collections.

It is also hoped that immersing high school students in the Brookhaven National Laboratory environment will also offer the participating students an opportunity to observe scientists engaged in a career in research and development.

According to McGurk, who helps coordinate this use of BNL’s library, Brookhaven Scientist Dr. Paul O’Connor was the featured presenter.

O’Connor discussed the scientific process with the students.

In addition, he shared with them his own scientific research, which includes taking digital photos of distant stars.

His presentation was entitled “Looking for Light from Dark Energy: Building the World’s Largest Digital Camera for the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope”.

He presented an overview of digital imaging technology and evidence of dark matter and explained the ambitious goals for the LSST and described proposals for a new generation of imaging sensors for future astrophysical exploration.

After the presentation, the students had lunch with Brookhaven scientists and then returned to complete some individual research.

The students are allowed to search databases and retrieve articles for their own research.

For the next six months, the students will have the opportunity to return to the Research Library to use its resources and services.

Photo Caption: Front L-R: RHS Librarian Kim McGurk, Taylor McKnight, Helene Drozd; Back L-R: HS Science Teacher Lance Mion, Peter Cook and Brandon Fata.