New Hyde Park Memorial High School’s Senior Science Research students Katie Gray and Victoria McGuigan spent the last summer in competitive research programs that included intensive research, seminars, and access to advanced cutting edge technology.
Katie Gray was a visiting scholar at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research as part of the facility’s Advancing Women in Science and Medicine Internship. Katie worked in the Blanc Lab under the mentor and Ph.D. candidate Elena Brindley. On Aug. 15, the Feinstein Institute hosted a poster session where Katie presented her project, “How Loss of RASA3 Function Impairs Erythropoiesis and Epiphyseal Plate Development Through Dysregulation of Key Signaling Pathways.” Katie’s research centered around the development of red blood cells and how disrupting this process affects the cell cycle, as well as the growth plate.
Victoria McGuigan, worked under Dr. Roche DeGuzman as part of the Hofstra Summer Science Research Program. Victoria studied, “The attachment of CdSeTe/ZnS quantum dots to alginate biomaterial for noninvasive detection of gel implants.” Quantum dots, known for their size-dependent optoelectronic properties, have applications in vivo imaging and therefore they can be used deep tissue scans, and can also manage drug release. On Sept. 25 the program held a symposium to highlight the research of each student.
Submitted by the Sewanhaka Central High School District
