Syosset High School Students Named Siemens Semifinalists

Dozens of students from across Long Island, including two from Syosset High School, are among 491 students nationwide who were selected as semifinalists in the prestigious Siemens Competition, which recognizes the achievements in math, science and technology among the country's brightest students.

There were 56 Long Island students named semifinalists. They are in the running for college scholarships of up to $100,000. They were selected from among the 1,860 projects that were initially submitted this year.

Jarrad Li and Rahul Parthasarathy, both of Syosset were among those named semifinalists.

Li conducted research on safe, alternative energy at Stony Brook University, teaming with two other students from nearby high schools.

By synthesizing the optimal ratio of gold-silver alloy nanoparticles and coating the fuel cells with these nanoparticles, Li and his team effectively catalyzed carbon monoxide oxidation and increased fuel cell power output, making them more cost efficient and commercially viable.

Parthasarathy worked independently at Brookhaven National Laboratory to identify crystals formed from a compound of cadmium, zinc and tellurium that are most ideal for use as radiation detectors.

By analyzing the properties of CZT that affect detector performance he was able to compare the strengths and weaknesses of these crystals.

By characterizing the optimum crystals, his research can make detectors more affordable and accessible, opening up a wide range of uses. Possible fields of usage include astrophysics, national security and nuclear medicine.

“Rahul and Jarrad are both determined and dedicated young scientists,” Syosset High School science research facilitator Veronica Ade, who oversees the school’s participation in the Siemens competition said. “They both followed their scientific passions to laboratories which could foster their talents and were able to use those experiences to enter the 2017 Siemens competition.”

Congratulations to both students!

Here's the complete list of Long Island semifinalists:

• Arooba Ahmed, Half Hollow Hills High School East, Dix Hills
• Serin Ahn, Jericho High School, Jericho
• Shifa Ali, Herricks High School, New Hyde Park
• Jacqueline Balestrieri, Saint Anthony's High School, Melville
• Mutahara Bhuiyan, Jericho High School, Jericho
• Lara Kolya Cain, Smithtown High School West, Smithtown
• Kenneth Chan, Island Trees High School, Levittown
• Shao Chen, Great Neck South High School, Great Neck
• Tiffeny Chen, Manhasset Senior High School, Manhasset
• Jang Hun Choi, Jericho High School, Jericho
• Fred Chu, Manhasset Senior High School, Manhasset
• Baokun Gu, Manhasset Senior High School, Manhasset
• Ryan Hou, Herricks High School, New Hyde Park
• Alan Jian, Garden City Senior High School, Garden City
• Danielle Kelly, Friends Academy, Locust Valley
• Christina Kim, Herricks High School, New Hyde Park
• Jason Kurlander, North Shore Hebrew Academy High School, Great Neck
• Joanna Lau, Herricks High School, New Hyde Park
• Austin Lee, Roslyn High School, Roslyn Heights
• Jiachen Lee, Half Hollow Hills High School East, Dix Hills
• Stephen Lee, Manhasset Senior High School, Manhasset
• Jarrad Li, Syosset High School, Syosset
• Kimberly Lu, Great Neck South High School, Great Neck
• Ruoxin Lu, John F. Kennedy High School, Plainview
• Danielle Luntz, Half Hollow Hills High School East, Dix Hills
• Dylan Makani, North Shore Hebrew Academy High School, Great Neck
• Pastor Martinez, Brentwood High School, Brentwood
• Thomas McGee, Cold Spring Harbor Junior/Senior High School, Cold Spring Harbor
• Anthonyne Metelus, Central Islip High School, Central Islip
• Jillian Parker, Half Hollow Hills High School West, Dix Hills
• Rahul Parthasarathy, Syosset High School, Syosset
• Rushikesh Patel, Herricks High School, New Hyde Park
• William Peng, Manhasset Senior High School, Manhasset
• Faima Quadir, Ward Melville Senior High School, East Setauket
• Kavya Rao, Half Hollow Hills High School East, Dix Hills
• Roshan Reddy, Lawrence High School, Cedarhurst
• Jerry Reyes, Lawrence High School, Cedarhurst
• Audrey Shine, Plainview-Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy High School, Plainview
• Katie Sierra, Northport High School, Northport
• Vedant Singh, Wheatley School, Old Westbury
• Brian Torres, Brentwood High School, Brentwood
• Sahith Vadada, Herricks High School, New Hyde Park
• Cindy Wang, Great Neck South High School, Great Neck
• Ethan Wang, Great Neck South High School, Great Neck
• Kasim Waqar, Half Hollow Hills High School East, Dix Hills
• Nicholas Williams, Lawrence High School, Cedarhurst
• Susan Wu, Manhasset Senior High School, Manhasset
• Michelle Xing, Great Neck South High School, Great Neck
• Elizabeth Yaboni, Smithtown High School West, Smithtown
• Vincent Yao, Roslyn High School, Roslyn Heights
• Tong Ye, Half Hollow Hills High School East, Dix Hills
• Andrew Zhang, Ward Melville Senior High School, East Setauket
• Ann Zhang, Great Neck South High School, Great Neck
• Helen Zhang, General Douglas MacArthur High School, Levittown
• Kendra Zhang, Jericho High School, Jericho
• Kiana Ziadkhanpour, John F. Kennedy High School, Plainview

The semifinalists will be broken up into groups to compete in regional competitions in November. From there, the winners will compete in the national finals at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. in December. The top winner will receive a $100,000 scholarship. Any student who makes it to the nationals will receive at least $25,000.

Pictured from left, Syosset Superintendent of Schools Dr. Tom Rogers and Deputy Superintendent Adele Bovard congratulate Rahul Parthasarathy and Jarrad Li, along with Syosset High School science research facilitator Veronica Ade and Syosset High School Principal Dr. Giovanni Durante.

Photo courtesy of the Syosset School District