Maria Regina, an all-female Catholic high school in Hartsdale, celebrated the winners of the school’s recent, record-breaking 3rd Annual Science Fair and Symposium.  

The honorees were among a total of 310 academically top-performing Maria Regina freshmen, sophomores, and juniors—representing an all-new high of 90 percent student participation—who showcased their critical thinking, creativity, effective communication, and independent learning during the two-day session held at the school’s Hartsdale campus.

“In the first two years of the Science Fair and Symposium, we were so impressed that more than half of the student body enthusiastically pursued the challenge when it was offered to them by the Science Department,” explained Principal Maria Carozza-McCaffrey (Class of ’99), adding: “But that did not prepare us for this year’s dramatic spike in student participation, underscoring the escalating interest Maria Regina students have in pursuing studies in STEM and other sciences which have historically been underrepresented by women.  We are on the way to 100 percent student participation, starting next year.”

And, once again, “the judges had their work cut out for themselves, given the uniformly high degree of college-level scientific inquiry and dedication to addressing real-world topics our incredibly bright young women proudly demonstrated,” said Reena Varma (P’17), Science Department chairperson and one of the judges who was tasked with assessing the students’ research projects and selecting the winners.

The other judges included members of the administration and science and math departments: Principal Carozza-McCaffrey; Karen Lizzo (Class of ‘90), Math Department chairperson; John Graviano, former Maria Regina Science Department Chairperson and faculty member; Valerie Reidy, former Maria Regina Principal and President; Jesse Vandemerlen, Lauren Smatt, Alicia Roche (Class of ‘14) and Michael Mazzuca, Science teachers and Shelagh Amann, Technology teacher.

Town of Greenburgh Supervisor Paul Feiner presented the winners with medals and congratulated them on their achievements. “Today, Maria Regina honors you. Twenty years from now, perhaps you will be Nobel Prize winners,” he told them. In April, the Town Board presented Maria Regina with a Proclamation, lauding Maria Regina as a “standard bearer in STEM studies.”

The winning students were lauded for their research projects addressing a wide range of topics in electrical engineering, environmental sciences, telecommunications, biomedicine, health, nutrition, and rail transportation, among others. The honorees included:

9th Grade
1st place:  Selah Johnson, White Plains: Does removing trash from a pond increase fish activity and the number of fish coming up to the surface?
2nd place:  Charlotte Sempre, Bronx: Mycoremediation: Turkey tail vs. Oyster mushroom, which is more effective at cleaning oil waste?
3rd place: (tie)
Madalyn Vanbrakle, New Rochelle: How does weight affect a maglev (magnetic levitation) train’s ability to levitate?
Jillian Pellegrino, Yonkers: Vitamin C concentration in orange juice

Grade 10
1st place:  Isabella Gonzalez, Bronx: Which power wins the race?
2nd place:  Gabriella Rivera, White Plains: How does different pH affect the color of red cabbage?
3rd place:  Sofia Fernandes, White Plains: How does the difference of pH in liquids affect the corrosion of metal?

Grade 11
1st place:  Fiona Shabaj, Bronx: How does environmental pH (neutral versus cancer-like acidic conditions) affect the antibacterial effectiveness of honey, manuka honey, garlic extract, and turmeric extract?
2nd place:  Adriana Gocaj, Bronx: Blocking Wi-Fi Signals with different materials
3rd place:  Allysa Raymond, Bronxville: Phantom Power

Top AP Research
Biology (tie):
Ivana Serrano, Bronx: Research: Kartagener Syndrome (rare, inherited genetic disorder)
Isabella Gocaj, Bronx: Research: Cystic Fibrosis

Chemistry:
Top Research:  Lillian Hinsliff, Scarsdale; Research: The medical implications of red hair

Special Mention:  Summer Ford, Yonkers; Research: How energy drinks affect chemical equilibrium in the body