6 Hewlett High Students Named Siemens Semifinalists

This release was submitted to Patch by the Hewlett-Woodmere School District.

Six students have been named semi-finalists in the Siemens Competition in Math, Science and Technology.

This year, 1,941 students registered to enter the competition, and only 300 were named semi-finalists. Hewlett High School submitted the work of six students, who worked in two groups. All six were named as semi-finalists.

Patricia Donskoy, Perry Goffner, and Jesse Korman worked on the project "Receptor for Activated C Kinase 1 (RACK 1) Regulates Cell Division Gametophyte Development, and ABA Signaling in Ceratopteris richardii."

Adam Marc, Chelsea Sidrane, and Helaina Regen-Tuero worked on the project "Identification and Characterization of Late Embryogenesis Abundant (LEA) Proteins in Response to Abscisic Acid (ABA) and Osmotic Stress in Ceratopteris richardii."

 All of research projects submitted were conducted in the high school lab and were designed by Dr. Terrence Bissoondial. Students spent three years in the research program at Hewlett High School. All research was focused on plant biology.

Identification and Characterization of Late Embryogenesis Abundant (LEA) Proteins in Response to Abscisic Acid (ABA) and Osmotic Stress in Ceratopteris richardii.

Farmers around the world are faced with the dilemma of rising salt levels in the soil. This increase in salinity reduces crop yield and prevents sustainable food production. Late Embryogenesis Abundant (LEA) proteins have been shown to play a vital role in plant tolerance to stress factors such as high salinity, drought, and low temperatures. Ceratopteris richardii is an aquatically grown fern, cultivated for food by people from China, Japan, and the Philippines. It is sometimes grown in the flooded field of rice, a crop far more extensively consumed in these regions and throughout the world. Since factors that affect the growth and development of Ceratopteris also tend to affect rice plants similarly, studying the fern’s responses to environmental stress is an essential step in also understanding the responses of higher plants.

In their research, students isolated and characterized several LEA genes in Ceratopteris. They demonstrated that ferns are actively competing with higher plants (e.g. flowering plants) and are not the dead end of evolution as widely believed. LEA proteins are universally utilized by plants to adapt to drought and high salinity. Understanding the mechanisms of LEA regulation in Ceratopteris can lead to improved crop production in of rice and other plants within a similar gene family.

Receptor for Activated C Kinase 1 (RACK1) Regulates Cell Division Gametophyte Development, and ABA Signaling in Ceratopteris richardii

Receptor for Activated C Kinase 1 (RACK1) is a gene that is found in both animals and plants. In animals, RACK1 regulates cell division, automated cell death (apoptosis), and other critical cellular processes. In humans, mutations in the RACK gene are associated with colorectal cancers. In plants such as the fern Ceratopteris richardii, the role of RACK1 is uncharacterized. In their research, the students found that RACK1 regulates vital processes such as cell division, growth and differentiation in the Ceratopteris. RACK1 also controls chlorophyll production and hormonal response. The underlining mechanism of RACK1 regulation can lead to improve crop development in plants and development of treatments for some cancers in humans.