The Siemens Foundation named senior Angi Guo a Regional Finalist and seniors Gabrielle Flamm, Alexandra Larsen and Tiffany Yau Semifinalists in the 2008-09 Siemens Competition in Math, Science and Technology. The results were announced Friday, October 24.

The annual competition recognizes high school students across the nation for science research projects. It is funded by the Siemens Foundation and administered by The College Board.

Guo is a Regional Individual Finalist. She worked with mentor Zhi Qi from the New York Blood Bank researching a compound that can be developed into an anti-HIV drug.

Guo will present her project at the Regional Finals at Carnegie Mellon University on Friday, November 14 and Saturday, November 15 to compete for a silver medal (the highest distinction possible at Regional Finals), a $3,000 prize, and a chance to compete in the National Finals for a gold medal and a scholarship ranging from $10,000 to the $100,000 grand prize.

Larsen worked with Rudolfo Llinas from NYU researching a biological diagnostic tool for autism. For her project, Larsen used a MEG (short for magnetoencephalography) machine and found brain activity differences in autistic subjects. “It was really worth it in the end,” Larsen said. “It was a very productive use of my time and the summer. […] I really think what I was researching will have a big impact on the health community.”

Flamm and Larsen are both Individual Semifinalists. Flamm worked with New York University (NYU) graduate student Jerome Nwachukwu studying hormone resistant prostate cancer for which there is no current cure. Her research focused on the role of SKP2 in regulating androgen-related gene expression. Androgens can be used to eradicate prostate cancer.

Yau, a Team Semifinalist, worked with her partner Tenzing Tsomo from Francis Lewis High School and mentor Bonnie Blackwell from the RFK Science Research Institute. Her project focused on dating an archaeological site in North Africa. Yau had also placed as a Regional Team Finalist in last year’s competition as a junior for her research on Neanderthal migration. “It’s pretty great to be part of such a prestigious contest,” Yau said. “I really like researching.”

Guo was surprised when she realized that she was a Regional Finalist. “I was really shocked because I wasn’t even expecting to be in the Semifinals,” she said.

“I was surprised, but it was gratifying,” Flamm said about her initial reaction to being a Semifinalist.
To prepare for the competition, the students took Stuyvesant’s research classes in the late winter and spring, conducted laboratory experiments in the spring and summer, and began writing their research papers in the late summer and fall. Their entries to the competition were due Wednesday, October 1.

“It was an amazing experience, but a very hard process,” Guo said. “I started kind of late […] the second week of June, so I sacrificed my whole summer [to do the project]. I would be in the lab from nine to five everyday.”

Stuyvesant teachers guide students through the competition process. “I help them express or communicate their findings […and] connect them to research opportunities,” said biology teacher and Research Coordinator Jonathan Gastel, the Research Advisor for Guo, Flamm and Larsen. “But it’s really them, not me.”

“Dr. Gastel would read my paper like three times a week,” Larsen said. “He was really giving and he was a great mentor.”

In the past, Stuyvesant had one National Individual Finalist in 2003 (who won the $100,000 grand prize), four Regional Team Finalists in 1999, and one Regional Team Finalist, Yau, in 2007.

“Whether or not you win, it doesn’t really matter. If you like research, […] finding things to cure your curiosity, it’s worth it. You don’t have to win anything,” Yau said.

“If you’re interested in science or research, you should definitely try it,” Flamm said. “It’s a lot of work, but it’s rewarding.”

“All of the students worked very, very hard on their projects,” Assistant Principal Biology and Geo-Science Elizabeth Fong said. “All the members of the Science department are equally delighted.”