Lakeland, Yorktown Students Win Acorda Awards

PHOTO: As part of an ongoing effort to promote STEM education in Westchester, County Executive Robert P. Astorino, center, joined with representatives of Acorda Therapeutics and radio broadcaster Lisa Wexler to recognize this year’s winners of the Acorda Scientific Excellence Award (ASEA) on May 11, 2016. Pictured left to right: Cayla Hamann, Yorktown; Gowri and Amba Viswanathan, Yorktown; Pradeepa Krish, Yorktown; Tierney Saccavino, Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications at Acorda; Alyssa Wei, Blind Brook; Jacob Zeitlin, Blind Brook; County Executive Robert P. Astorino; Lisa Wexler, AM 1490 WGCH; Andrew Castellano, WestchesterTalkRadio.com; Kelly Heinzerling, Convent of the Sacred Heart; Grace Passannante, Convent of the Sacred Heart; and David Carratu, New Canaan.

As part of an ongoing effort to promote STEM education in Westchester, County Executive Robert P. Astorino recently joined with representatives of Acorda Therapeutics and radio broadcaster Lisa Wexler to recognize this year’s winners of the Acorda Scientific Excellence Award.

A special live broadcast of The Lisa Wexler Show took place from 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday on AM 1490 WGCH from the County Office Building, where students were each given the opportunity to speak about their scientific research. The show was simultaneously rebroadcast on WestchesterTalkRadio.com.

“In this global economy, the jobs not only of tomorrow, but of today, call for a solid grounding in science, technology, engineering and math,” Astorino said in a prepared statement. “I am proud to join in supporting STEM education in Westchester, and congratulate these students on their groundbreaking research.”

The following are the 2015-16 ASEA winners:

· Andrew Amini, Yorktown High School

· David Carratu, New Canaan High School

· Arjun Chattoraj, Dobbs Ferry High School

· Cayla Hamann, Yorktown High School

· Kelly Heinzerling and Grace Passannante, Convent of the Sacred Heart

· Micah Jeng, Byram Hills High School

· Pradeepa Krish, Yorktown High School

· Gregory Marinaccio, Byram Hills High School

· Elizabeth Silver, Sleepy Hollow High School

· Sarah Tang, Byram Hills High School

· Amba and Gowri Viswanathan, Yorktown High School

· Alyssa Wei, Blind Brook High School

· Christopher Werni, Lakeland High School

· Griffin Williamson, Mamaroneck High School

· Garrett Wolfe, Byram Hills High School

· Jacob Zeitlin, Blind Brook High School

· Yi Zhao, Mamaroneck High School

For information about eligibility requirements or to apply for the Acorda Scientific Excellence Award, please visit http://www.acorda.com/ScientificAward.aspx or email scienceaward@acorda.com.

Acorda Therapeutics, a biotechnology company based in Ardsley, launched the program in 2014 as a way to spotlight some of the impressive scientific research being done by students, thereby supporting the next generation of scientists and encouraging them to consider careers in related fields.

The awards are presented in partnership with Acorda and The Lisa Wexler Show on AM 1490 WGCH.

“Acorda Therapeutics is proud to sponsor the ASEA program to recognize the innovative and impressive research that so many of our local high school students are doing in the area of STEM,” said Tierney Saccavino, Executive Vice President, Corporate Communications at Acorda. “We hope that these inspiring students will become part of the next generation of leaders in medical research and in all areas of science, math and technology.”

All Westchester, Putnam and Fairfield county high school students are eligible for the award, including students at public, parochial or private schools as well as students who are home-schooled. Applications are evaluated by a committee comprised of scientists from Acorda Therapeutics, Westchester science educators, Wexler and a representative from Westchester County government.

Food for the event was provided by Chicken Joe’s of Rye.

If you missed the live broadcast, you can find it online on WGCH.com and LisaWexler.com.