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Smithtown HS West student named Intel finalist
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Smithtown High School West senior Patrick Abejar has been named an Intel Science Talent Search finalist.
Each spring, 40 finalists are selected from thousands of students nationwide to attend the week-long Science Talent Institute in Washington, D.C. There, the teen scientists present their research projects members of the scientific community at the National Academy of Sciences, meet with distinguished government leaders and participate in a rigorous judging process. Over $1 million is awarded annually to Intel participants and their schools; awards range from $5,000 scholarship grants and laptop computers for all finalists to the grand prize of a $100,000 college scholarship.
Working with research teacher Joanne Figueiredo at High School West and Troy Rasbury at Stony Brook University, Abejar developed the report, "Utilizing Boron Isotopic Secular Variation as a Proxy to Assess Climate Change." He observed the shells of Brachiopoda fossils for the element boron in order to track climate change. Higher levels of boron correspond to greenhouse phases; lower levels to icehouse phases, according to Abejar. Though the fossils are hundreds of millions of years old, the teen's findings are relevant to today's research into global warming.
Abejar and Mitchell Feinberg of Smithtown High School East were the district's two semifinalists, and have received extensive media coverage in recent weeks. But what about the people who have worked behind the scenes to guide countless Intel participants over the years?
Feinberg's project was conducted at Stony Brook University under the mentorship of Emilia Encheva. Almost every summer Encheva takes on a high school student, sometimes two — for no monetary compensation, she said. "It is a great feeling if you are the first to excite someone about research, and I am passionate about what I do; I love my work," Encheva added.
"It is time consuming to train a high school student," the scientist said. "However, I am fortunate to have selfless graduate students in the lab who have played an important role in training new people. And, more importantly, sometimes I get lucky to get people like Mitch to join the lab."
"Mitch is so bright and talented that he picked up the research concepts and the techniques faster than many undergraduates and even graduate students," Encheva explained. "He became quite independent within a month or so in the lab. It is hard to imagine that someone can complete within a summer a serious advanced research project, but Mitch certainly did. He still comes to the lab; we stayed till 10 pm or so on Christmas Eve to work out some problems and he did experiments on Christmas Day.... It has been a pure pleasure to have him in the lab."
Smithtown High School East has a small science research program — there are currently only 15 students enrolled in the three-year program: 10 juniors, one senior and four sophomores — according to its director, research advisor Maria Trinkle. The program has been in existence for only three years, since Smithtown's high school split into two campuses; yet the school has had at least one student place in the Intel competition all three years, under Trinkle's tutelage.
"They're placing because they are doing good science and doing something they enjoy," Trinkle said. "I try to ignite curiosity in them." Trinkle also tries to emphasize the writing portion of the competitions the students enter. "It's important for them to be literate. I make them do a lot of edits and make sure they learn how to write in this research program." Last year, in fact, Trinkle's students took first, second, third and fourth place at the BNL Essay Competition. "We swept it. That's really unusual."
Students must meet advanced criteria to enter Trinkle's program; she's looking for a "mixture of qualities: independence, a good work ethic, as well as their transcript," she said. Teens typically enter the program as sophomores, and research takes a place in their daily schedule. As a result, oftentimes the students lose their lunch period, Trinkle explained, although she allows them to eat during lab.
"I have a passion for science," Trinkle said. "I try to teach them to think critically and I let them make mistakes and learn. It's not about winning. It's about learning. Science is a hands-on experience. It happens on a lab bench."
How do the students choose the projects they will work on? "I pull it out of them," Trinkle said. She tries to find out what they are interested in, what their passion is. The school pays for the supplies; there are no fees for the students. "All the personnel here and the administration are extraordinarily supportive. They let students go that extra step. But it's not about the fancy equipment. It's about the thinking — the human mind," Trinkle added.
Last year Smithtown High School East's program produced an Intel finalist, Ashok Chandran. Marian Evinger, who works at Stony Brook, mentored Ashok.
"What I really look for in a prospective high school student is enthusiasm and commitment. Everything else will come in its own time," Evinger explained. "As to why I keep doing this," she added, "it's one way that I can give back to the community. Also, I feel very strongly that early impressions — whether of science or any area — are often instrumental in determining someone's career choices. It's important that students have a good feeling about science and research from the start. If the excitement is there, the rest will evolve naturally. Those are the students we should foster and encourage. It's really about identifying and training the next generation." Some Smithtown East students are placed in Brookhaven National Lab's summer high school research program, under administrator Scott Bronson.
Bronson said that they get about 30 students over the summer, from all over Long Island, even from New York City and Westchester. There is usually one volunteer mentor per student. The researchers do in fact enjoy volunteering their time to work with the high school students, Bronson explained. "It's the culture of science. Someone mentored them at some point too. Scientists are just very generous."
"Long Island really stands out nationally," Bronson said. "We have a lot of second-generation kids who are really hustling, really working hard. Long Island's science students are a nice treasure for the country."
"These students don't just come out of nowhere," Trinkle emphasized. "They come out of a program that taught them how to think."
Arlene Gross contributed to this story.
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