By Claire Walla

This year, roughly 4,800 high school students applied to the United States Naval Academy’s Summer STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) Program. Of them, only 400 were accepted. And one of them is from Sag Harbor.

“I knew I wanted to apply half-way through seventh grade,” explained Sean Toole, who’s just finishing his freshman year at Pierson High School.

The week-long STEM program, which for Toole will run through this Saturday, June 16, is open to students from eighth through eleventh grade, and offers kids the chance to learn more about science programs at the academy while completing scientific projects of their own. According to a brochure for the program, topics covered will range from biometrics and cyber security to environmental challenges and automation.

Toole actually applied to the program for the first time as an eighth grader, but he wasn’t admitted.

“I was iffy about applying this year, because I don’t like rejection,” he continued. “But I wanted to go.”

“When I first got the letter that said ‘Congratulations,’ I dropped it,” explained Toole, a rather mild-mannered student. “I would have been jumping up and down, but that’s not me.”

In addition to a great interest in science — physics specifically — Toole said he also plans to attend the Naval Academy one day. In a sense, he explained, serving the country is part of his family’s legacy. The great nephew of the late John Ward, a former Sag Harbor mayor who served in World War II as a U.S. Army Tech Sargent — Toole’s family members have also served in the Navy and the Air Force.

But, he also said attending the program would expose him to math and science he’s “probably never seen before,” which will not only be to his benefit, but to the school district as a whole.

“I’ll get to bring information back that nobody else really knows about,” he added.

By Claire Walla

The jobs of tomorrow might not be here today, but a new program at the Ross School is aiming to help high school students prepare for them.

That’s the concept behind the school’s new science academy, Innovation Lab @Ross, which was announced this month and is now accepting applications for the coming academic year.

According to David Morgan, who is returning to Ross after 10 years teaching undergraduate science courses at The New School, the program is being developed for those students who have already demonstrated an early passion for scientific innovation. Primary fields of study will include mathematics, engineering, media and technology; though within those realms Morgan said instruction and lab work will ultimately be attuned to students’ particular interests.

“The idea is that students will come with an interest in one of these fields,” he said. They might not be absolutely sure precisely what they want to pursue, he added, “but they’ve identified that this [path] is what they want.”

Ross has also announced a scholarship for local students hoping to be part of the Innovation Lab.  The deadline for the award is Tuesday, June 12, and information can be found at www.ross.org/scholarship.

Like the Ross tennis academy, the innovation lab students will take the same core courses as students in the regular school for the first half of the day. During the second half of the day, however, instead of playing tennis, students in the Innovation Lab will have hours to devote to science, focusing on “in-depth projects, independent research and labs that are two- to three-hour blocks,” Morgan explained.

“There’s a huge desire in today’s world for students to be connected to these fields,” added Patty Lein, Ross’ Director of Academics and Professional Development (also former chair of the science department). “A lot of professors are jazzed about the idea of bringing that innovative thinking into Ross; these students will be leaders in the field at some point.”

Morgan further impressed that the Innovation Lab would not only foster an environment where scientific exploration would be supported, it would give students a certain business sense, teaching them how to bring their ideas into the marketplace. The idea is for students to learn how to write grants, and even apply for science grants during their time at Ross.

“What we need to do is give students the skills to do independent research and be able to work with a mentor,” Morgan explained.

The Innovation Lab will tap into a list of well-established science researchers who will be available to consult with students throughout their time at Ross. These mentors include professors Morgan himself already has working relationships with, as well as professors from around the world.

These resources include mathematics professor Dr. Ralph Abraham of the University of California — Santa Cruz; professor of neuroscience Dr. Antonio Damasio of the University of Southern California; Dr. Kurt W. Fischer of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, mathematics professor Dr. Victor Katz of the University of the District of Columbia; and researcher Dr. Hideaki Koizumi of Tokyo, Japan, among others.

Of course, local scientists, like famed environmentalist Carl Safina, have agreed to participate on a consulting basis as well.

Ross is currently accepting ninth and tenth grade applicants ($49,850 base fee for day students, $66,150 for boarding students) with what both Morgan and Lein referred to as a demonstrated passion for science.

“The most important thing is an indication that the student is passionate and curious about something,” Morgan said. Although a track record of high achievement and good test scores will be considered as well, Morgan emphasized, “We want students whose eyes light up when they find out that they’ll get to spend part of their day with free time [to research, or conduct lab work].”

Morgan said the focus of the program is still evolving, and will continue to morph based on students’ interests. However, he anticipates putting a lot of energy into robotics and engineering, as well as 3D design and fabrication. (The school will be purchasing a 3D printer and scanner, which will allow students to create a digital prototype of a part — a robot claw, for instance — and the “printer” will essentially create it.)

“It’s a pioneering program,” Lein continued. “We want the voice of the first student body to help design the program’s next steps.”

Morgan agreed, adding that he’s excited to see how the program evolves over time.

“My greatest hope is that three years from now there will be students doing what I can’t even imagine now,” he stated. “My job is to make sure I can make that possible.”

 

Pierson High School’s Andrew Mitchell has been named a semifinalist for the Intel science competition — a national competition that gives scholarships and other prizes for high school seniors who excel in many different areas of science.

“I really enjoy science and chemistry,” said the Pierson senior who joined in the research at the school last year and has been working with fungus and molds.

Mitchell’s work is a continuation of research that began about five years ago in Pierson’s chemistry lab under the direction of Dr. Robert Schumacher, the high school chemistry teacher.

“We find out what compounds the fungus produces that have medicinal properties,” explained Dr. Schumacher. “Andrew’s research provided two new members of the scoriosins and provided more material for further biological evaluation.”

In 2005, it was then-Pierson senior Ailish Bateman who first made it into the list of top 40 Intel finalists for the fungus project. Schumacher said that she submitted only one structure and more data was required to prove the structure.

In 2008, senior Josephine Thiele isolated six new scoriosin type antibiotics and was an Intel semifinalist. Mitchell has subsequently isolated two new members of the scoriosin family of antibiotics and synthesized them to prove the structure and provide more material for biological testing.

All the projects together provided the necessary data to publish the work in a scientific journal. 

“This further proved Ailish and Josie’s structures and provided new data about the mode of activity,” Dr. Schumacher said of Mitchell’s work.

The paper will be published later this year in collaboration with Dartmouth College and the University of Mississippi and with all three students as co-authors.

All across the U.S., hopeful students wait for the response from the organizers of the Intel competition — from late November when students submit applications to mid-January, when the semifinalists are announced. Last Wednesday, Mitchell learned that he was an Intel semifinalist.

“I had to write five 300-word essays, and include it with my resume in a pack,” Mitchell said. He also submitted his 13-page research report. “They take your SAT scores and information from the guidance department too.”

Mitchell is one of 300 Intel semifinalists named from 1,698 applicants around the country. He has been awarded a $1,000 scholarship for being named a semifinalist, and Pierson High School will also receive an equal amount. Next Wednesday, 40 finalists will be announced and if Mitchell is included in that list, he will receive another $5,000, a lap top computer and a trip to the White House where he will have one on one time with the scientists who will determine his overall knowledge of the research. The top Intel prize is a $100,000 college scholarship.

 “I am really proud of the science program and the hard work the teachers have put in,” said Pierson vice principal Gary Kalish.

“Our science department is very strong, and I would like to particularly recognize Dr. Schumacher for the mentoring of Andrew,” added Sag Harbor School District Superintendent Dr. John Gratto. “If there is any further way the school can help them – we will.”

Dr. Schumacher noted that Pierson has been the only high school on the East End in the last five years to have semifinalists in the 67-year-old science competition. According to Dr. Schumacher, the organizers of the competition require a lot of personal information about the student’s history, grades and other achievements.

For his part, Mitchell is hopeful that this research will help him increase his chances of getting into Dartmouth College.

“I would like to pursue this research after high school,” Mitchell said, “I loved the whole idea of the project.”

“I would like to thank Dr. Robert Schumacher for his constant guidance and positive reinforcement,” wrote Mitchell in his research report. “I thank him the most for never giving me a direct answer and always making me find the answer myself.”