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 Program
Summary
 Young
Scientists with John Merrow focuses on two New York schools,
Plainview-OldBethpage JFK High School on Long Island, and Townsend
Harris High School in Queens. At both schools, any student –
not just honor students – can enroll in an independent science
research class. These classes, contrary to national trends, attract
as many girls as boys.
PICKING A TOPIC
Independent research is a challenge from day one. The first step is
coming up with a research topic. Students get their ideas from teachers
and other adults, from exploring the Internet, or by following their
own personal interests. Sofia Bajwa and Anglea Nguyen, for example,
are working as a team to find a cure for HIV and AIDS, using computers
to analyze the structure of proteins.
RESEARCHING
Complex projects like these cannot be conducted in a high school lab;
they require equipment and technology found in professional laboratories,
hospitals, and universities. To gain access to these environments,
students must first find a mentor – an adult scientist, engineer,
or medical researcher who is willing to work with them.
"It’s mentoring that makes the scientist, and the making
of a scientist starts young," says Alka Mansukhani, a research
scientist at New York University who is mentoring Rio May del Rosario.
"I think if the seed is planted at the right time and nurtured,
there’s so much science to be done," says Mansukhani.
With their mentors’ guidance, the students conduct most of their
research over the summer. These students experience science in a way
few 16 and 17-year-olds in high school science class get to. It isn't
textbook learning, it's on the job training.
Come fall, the young scientists return to school where, in addition
to their regular high school classes, they continue to devote many
nights and weekends to their science projects. They will be competing
in a series of regional science fairs leading up to a final, worldwide
event, the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair.
WRITING UP
THE FINDINGS
 To
enter the competitions, students must write up their findings. For
many, switching gears from researcher to writer does not come easily.
On the day entries are due, students make last minute calls to mentors
and hustle to get their reports packaged and ready to go before the
Fed Ex truck pulls away from the curb. They make it – but barely.
PRACTICING PRESENTATIONS
With only a short time before the regional
competitions begin, students have to master yet another skill: explaining
and defending their research. They practice for anyone and everyone,
from skeptical peers to demanding teachers to relatively easy-to-please
parents. "They’re going to be asked to be on stage and
to make presentations or talk one on one," explains science teacher
Melanie Krieger. "So this is a life skill that they will need
forever as a scientist."
COMPETING
REGIONALLY
 On
a chilly winter morning, the young scientists from Townsend
Harris, some of whom have been up most of the night putting finishing
touches on their presentations, are ready to face the first round
of judges. They will have ten minutes to explain
the essence of their research and to field questions. The
auditorium of City College of New York is wall-to-wall science projects,
as the volunteer judges, including teachers, and research scientists,
move from project to project, asking tough questions, and closely
examining data. At the end of the day, the judges must decide which
projects move along to the next level of competition, though the results
won’t be announced for several weeks. The chances of making
it all the way to the finals are slim. Out of 1,500 projects entered
in the New York and Long Island regional competitions, only 42, less
than 3%, will end up going to Louisville, the site of this year’s
final competition.
At about the same time as the New York City
fair, students from Plainview Old-Bethpage on Long Island participate
in a similar regional competition. The judges
gather at the end of the day to talk about this experience. Miriam
Rafailvich, a science professor from SUNY Stony Brook, recalls a "teachable
moment," that occurred as she judged a soil research project
by partners Chris Lane and Lindsey Fourman. "I felt that part
of my job was to teach them and to point out to them how to improve
their project," explains Rafailvich. "Their idea was very
good, but their methodology was somewhat flawed. They’re high
school kids, after all. I would be surprised if it was perfect."
 Several
weeks later, we learn that eight of the students we have been following
from Townsend Harris will advance to Round Two of the competition,
as well as four students from Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK.
After Round Two, the tension is almost unbearable as students wait
to see who will make the final cut. Will any of our young scientists
be going to the finals in Louisville? That night Sofia Bajwa and Anglea
Nguyen from Townsend Harris get a phone call. They’re in! None
of the students we have been following from Plainview-Old Bethpage
makes it. For the second year in a row, Mandeep Virdi, is a runner-up.
Though she tries to be philosophical, her disappointment is evident.
 COMPETING
INTERNATIONALLY
In May of 2002, Louisville, Kentucky plays host to
the finals of the 53rd Annual International Science and Engineering
Fair where 1,300 students from 39 countries compete for more than
$3 million in cash prizes and scholarships. Sofia Bajwa and Anglea
Nguyen come as part of the New York City contingent, and – surprise!
– so does Mandeep Virdi, who was called at the last minute when
a finalist got ill. It’s a grand event with days full of science
and nights full of dances, parades, and other social events where
young scientists from around the globe meet one another.
IMPROVING SCIENTIFIC LITERACY
While the three New York girls don’t win, they're satisfied
to have come this far. They've experienced science in a way few high
school students ever get to, but more need to. "If we don’t
fix our science and math educational system, the nation is really
in deep trouble," warns Leon Lederman. Hands-on science programs,
like these, increase "scientific literacy," which by some
estimates is currently as low as 5% nationwide.
In a world that is increasingly technological, the future requires
an adult population that understands the scientific and technological
issues that shape the world we live in. These young scientists are
well on their way. |
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