Twelve Students from G.W Hewlett High School Named Regional
Finalists &Semifinalist in the 2013 Siemens Competition in Math,
Science and Technology.
In an encore performance to winning the Team Grand Prize ($100,000) in last year’s Siemens
Competition, George W. Hewlett High School has produced 12 students who were collectively
named Semifinalists or Regional Finalists in the 2013-2014 Siemens Math, Science and
Technology Competition. This accomplishment demonstrates Hewlett High School remarkable
ability to develop in-house research projects that can be distinguished nationally among the
many Siemens entries. Moreover, G.W. Hewlett High School had the most number of
semifinalists by any single high school in New York. Since the launching of the premiere
Siemens Science Competition more than a decade ago, G.W. Hewlett High School has produced
more than 75 Semifinalists, Regional and National finalists in that competition.
For the 2013 Siemens Competition, students work in groups and conducted their research
projects under the mentorship of Dr. Terrence Bissoondial. All of the projects conducted
focused on understanding specific mechanisms of plant biology. In most cases, the students
spent 2-3 years on their research projects with Dr. Bissoondial. The 2013-2014 Semifinalists
and Finalists are:
Collado
DiSalvo
Elbaz
Flamenco
Green
Haider
Kenneth
Samantha
Joshua
Sara
Micheal
Ayman
Kenny
Mahmood
Ng
Pei
Vitha
Wadgaonkar
Ryan
Zainab
Steven
JiaWen
Amy
Priyanka
For more description of the students
projects, please see below:
Project Title: Novel FyPP Protein Phosphatase 2A with Puroindoline B Domain Binds to
Phytochromes in Ceratopteris richardii
Regional
Finalists
Michael Green
Ayman Haider
Stephen Ng
From Left to Right: Ayman Haider, Michael Green and Stephen Ng
Michael, Ayman and Steven isolated and characterized a gene from the fern Ceratopteris
richardii that encodes for a novel chimeric enzyme never before identified in the Plant
Kingdom. This enzyme has the potent to link the light, auxin (plant hormone) and defense
signaling pathways together, allowing the plant to easily coordinate multiple responses upon
stimulated.
Project Title: The Isolation and Characterization of an Ozone Responsive Stress Related
Protein (OZS) in Ceratopteris richardii
Regional
Finalists
Priyanka Wadgaonkar
JiaWen Pei
Zainab Mahmood
From Left to Right: Priyanka Wadgaonkar, Zainab Mahmood, and JiaWen Pei
Priyanka, JiaWen and Zainab utilized the fern Ceratopteris richardii as a model system to study a
gene (OZS) that is believed to play a role in abiotic stress. They analyzed the structure of the
encoded protein and showed that the gene plays a significant role in a plant’s susceptibility to
ozone pollution. Their research can lead to crops more tolerant to ozone.
Project Title: Utilization of the Gametophytes of Ceratopteris richardii to Characterize the
LPS-Induced Hypersensitive Response in Plants
Semifinalists
Samantha DiSalvo
Ryan Kenny
Amy Vitha
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From Left to Right: Samantha DiSalvo, Ryan Kenny, and Amy Vitha
Many bacterial pathogens cause significant crop loss globally. Samantha, Ryan and Amy
developed a system to study the mechanism of plant cell immunity initiated by specific
components (lipopolysaccharides or LPS) of bacteria. They also identified and characterized
many genes involved in plant response. Their work can lead to crops become to resistant to
bacterial pathogens.
Samantha, Ryan and Amy received the First Place Award in the 2013 Intel’s International
Science and Engineering Fair. Their work was additionally distinguished as the Best in the
Category of Plant Science. They were receipt of The London International Youth Science
Forum Award (The Philip V. Streich Memorial Award).
Project Title: Integration of the Light and GA Phytohormone Signaling Pathways in Panicum
virgatum to Enhance Biomass Production
Semifilists
Joshua Elbaz
Kenneth Collado
Sara Flamenco
From Left to Right: Joshua Elbaz, Sara Flamenco and Kenneth Collado