Herricks High School senior Edward Ham was first moved to help people suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease when he was in fourth or fifth grade.
Ham remembers watching a Korean language drama with his parents about a 40-year-old man who was stricken with the disease.
“It was very touching,” he recalled. “It’s something I’ve always been interested in since I was a little kid.”
Ham has acted on that childhood interest to become a finalist for the 2013 Neuroscience Research Prize. He is one of nine students nationwide in the running next month for the award, which is sponsored by the American Academy of Neurology and the Child Neurology Society.
Ham earned his shot at the top prize after doing two months of research work last summer at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx under the guidance of Dr. Joel Friedman.
His project is entitled, “The Effect of Size and Charge on the Diffusive Permeability of Nanoparticles Across an In-Vitro Model of the Blood Brain Barrier.”
Ham sought to identify tiny chemicals that could enter the brain and aid Alzheimer’s patients by breaking down plaque that degrades the protein in brain cells.
Over the two months of work in the research lab, Ham identified small particles that were suited to the task.
Ham said he found his success in the project satisfying and he would like to continue the research at Albert Einstein College this summer if his choice of college does not interfere.
“I feel like for research, you have to look at the bigger picture. There’s so much you can do by looking at the smaller aspects,” Ham said.
He produced a 20-page research paper to complete his project with the aid of his Herricks teacher, Reneé Barcia, and passed muster in two phone subsequent interviews with scientists.
“I’ve known Eddie for four years. I’ve seen a bright and dedicated young man,” Barcia said, adding that she has been proud to teach him.
Ham, who has applied to Cornell, said he wants to study bioresearch and is also considering following his big brother’s lead into medicine.
Ham plans to submit his neuroscience research project for the Intel Talent Search competition in January and also intends to present it at the Long Island Science and Engineering Fair next year.
Neuroscience isn’t Ham’s sole interest.
An accomplished musician, he plays trombone in the Herricks High School wind ensemble and also plays in the Herricks jazz band outside of school. He said he also enjoys dancing.
And those dance floor moves may have translated to his agility as an athlete. Ham plays lacrosse and played both offense and defense on the Highlanders varsity football team this season, as a running back, free safety and linebacker.
