Somers Science Fair Success for Westlake Sophomores

Mr. McIntyre's Science Research sophomores cleaned up at the 2024 Somers Science Fair. This year's event featured 707 1st-year science research students from 37 local schools who presented posters of their proposed research projects to over 467 judges. Westlake brought home five first places, two second places, and two third places. 

Keira Borello won 1st Place in Animal Science for her proposed research “Comparing Efficacy of Insect Traps vs. eDNA Analysis to Establish Settlement of Laricobius and Leucotaraxis, Biocontrols of Invasive Adelges Tsugae (Hemlock Woolly Adelgid)”. She will be conducting original research this summer at Mianus River Gorge in Bedford, NY.

Isabelle Chacko won 1st Place in Biochemistry for her proposed research “Making Medicine Safer: Identifying the Ideal Isoelectric Point Range Between Proteins and Impurities for Optimal Protein Purification”. She will be conducting original research this summer at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals in Tarrytown, NY.

Lucas Finkel won 3rd Place in Behavioral & Social Science for his proposed research “Exploring the Efficacy of Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy for Social Anxiety Disorder.”

Tycho Force won 1st Place in Animal Science for his proposed research “Sound Check: A Breeding Bird Survey of Migratory Songbirds in Hemlock Forests in Decline Using Autonomous Acoustic Recorders”. He will be conducting original research this summer at Mianus River Gorge in Bedford, NY.

Lauren Hammeral won 3rd Place in Bioinformatics for her proposed research “Enhancing Predictive Accuracy in Breast Cancer Recurrence Testing: The Role of Expanded Domain Variability in AI-Based Detector”. She will be conducting original research this summer at PreciseDx in New York, NY.

Winnie Mao won 2nd Place in Cellular & Molecular Biology for her proposed research “Examining the Effect of Chronic Hexavalent Chromium Treatment on Glycolysis of Lung Epithelial Cells In Vitro”. She will be conducting original research this summer at New York Medical College in Valhalla, NY.

Giana Marchese won 2nd Place in Microbiology for her proposed research “Investigating the Effect of Berberine On Epstein Barr Virus Replication, Infectivity, and Reactivation”. She will be conducting original research this summer at New York Medical College in Valhalla, NY.

Christina Rodrigues won 1st Place in Cellular & Molecular Biology for her proposed research “A Novel Approach to Relieving Neuropathic Pain After Stroke? Investigating HDAC6 Inhibition and Its Role in Neural Plasticity”. She will be conducting original research this summer at Burke Neurological Institute in White Plains, NY.

Elizabeth Singh won 1st Place in Medicine & Health for her proposed research “Investigating Spinal Cord Injuries: An Analysis of Treatments Using Neural vs. Non-Neural Stem Cell Therapies to Improve Motor and Sensory Functions”. She will be conducting original research this summer at New York Medical College in Valhalla, NY.