The Hoosic Valley High School held its 30th Annual Student Science Research Symposium on May 27th. The Student Science Research Program is a 3-year college credit course associated with UAlbany through its University in the High School Program. Over the course of 3 years, students learn college level skills including presentation techniques, scientific writing, organization, and time management skills while completing research on a topic of their own choosing.
Students are expected to complete a thorough review of the available scientific literature, develop a problem and/or hypothesis, and with the help of a professional with the expertise in that field, develop an appropriate methodology for testing their hypothesis. Once they have gained approval from the Research Review Board, student researchers carry out the experiment, collect and analyze data, and draw conclusions. Students are encouraged to submit their completed work for publication in an appropriate journal or to a competition.
Each year the students must present their work as a slideshow presentation and/or poster for the public at the annual symposium. Symposium presentations included Evan Antolick’s correlation between soil’s organic matter and ecological diversity, Sarah-Helen Mysliwiec’s effect of various LED lighting conditions on microgreen plants, Isabella Schmidt’s water quality in the Tomhannock Reservoir, and Christopher Tracy’s increased optical transmission of TEOS-based silica aerogel monoliths for window applications.
Students in the Science Research program include first year students Estelle Hurley, Julia Mastromarchi, Ava Wiley; second year Helen LeStage, Anna Grace Macica, Sarah-Helen Mysliwiec, Isabella Schmidt, Kaylee Smith; and third year Evan Antolick, Andrew Thompson, and Christopher Tracy. Eric O’Brien, a Hoosic Valley Science Teacher, is the program advisor.
The Symposium keynote speaker was Dr. Mary K. Carroll, the Dwane W. Crichton Professor of Chemistry at Union College and the Immediate Past President of the American Chemical Society. She co-directs the Union College Aerogel Lab where Christopher Tracy, a Hoosic Valley senior, is conducting his research.