West Islip Seniors Present Research At Science Symposium

WEST ISLIP, NY - From West Islip Public Schools: Three West Islip High School seniors – Luke Harris in biology, Shannon Lafferty and Nicolette Nigro in environmental science – were recently invited to present their research findings at the Junior Science and Humanities Symposium’s 2018 Long Island regional semifinals at York College in Queens.

Harris worked with Dr. Judy St. Leger, the vice-president of research and science for SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment, along with other scientists and staff at SeaWorld to conduct his research, titled “Extracting DNA from Killer Whale Mucus as a Non-invasive Alternative to the Use of Biopsy Darts.” His work won first place in the biology category, and Harris moved on to present at the JSHS regional finals, also held at York College.

Lafferty and Nigro worked with scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory’s DNA Learning Center, as part of the National Microbiome Initiative, to develop their project, titled “Microbiome Analysis of Water with Different Salinities on the South Shore of Long Island.”

Photo courtesy of the West Islip School District