Hewlett Science Team Wins Regional Siemens Competition

For the second year in a row, a team of Hewlett High School researchers won the regional Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology and will travel to Washington to compete on the national stage.

Seniors Priyanka Wadgaonkar, Zainab Mahmood and JiaWen Pei’s project on plants’ resistance to ozone won over the judges at Carnegie Mellon University to claim the $7,000 scholarship prize.

“It’s very exciting,” Pei told Patch. “It’s nice to know that the hard work paid off.”

The team did its research over three years, about 400 hours in Pei’s estimation, during a class with Dr. Terrence Bissoondial, who has seen many of his students go on to win at science competitions, including last year’s top Siemen’s prize. The students also worked during the summer after Sandy kept schools closed for days.

“The students play such an integral in a project’s development and execution,” Bissoondial said. “To have it two years in a row making nationals is beyond belief. It’s not common for a high school. I’m beyond excited.”

The project, “The Isolation and Characterization of an Ozone Responsive Stress Related Protein (OZS) in Ceratopteris richardii,” looked at the effects of air pollution, particularly ozone, on plant health and crop yield. The students found a correlation between ozone resistance and a gene called "ozone responsive stress related protein (OZS)," which has the potential to make important crops more resistant to ozone and other physical stressors such as drought and the increasing salinity of soil.

“This work addresses a fundamental environmental problem and its potential effect on our future food supply," said Dr. Brooke McCartney, associate professor of biological science at Carnegie Mellon University. "These students exhibited remarkable creativity, persistence and critical thinking ability that represents the best of what science education can inspire."

Wadgaonkar, of Woodmere, said the team has already begun looking further into the research to gain more insight into the roles the genes play. She became interested in science research from her parents, who work as a cell biologist and a gastroenterologist. Wadgaonkar, a recipient of the George Eastman Young Leaders Award who serves as chair of the Cabaret Night Business Committee, hopes to be a doctor.

Pei, of Valley Stream, also wants to enter the medical field. She is captain of the school fencing team, a member of the National Honor Society, Foreign Language Honor Society, chorus, and orchestra.

Mahmood, of Hewlett, plans to pursue an engineering career. She is a member of the National Honor Society, a Euro Challenge semifinalist, recipient of the United States Army Award, and the second-place winner of the Long Island Science and Engineering Fair. She volunteers at Franklin Early Childhood Center and plays varsity lacrosse.