TROY – Seven students from Shaker High School earned awards at the Greater Capital Region Science and Engineering Fair, held Saturday, March 15, at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The event brought together students from across the area to present original research in scientific and engineering disciplines.
Twelve students from Shaker participated in the fair, where projects were judged based on the students’ ability to explore a scientific phenomenon, conduct an investigation and analyze the results. Their presentations covered a wide range of topics, including biomedical science, environmental studies and advanced materials.
Senior Pavithra Jayakumar received second place in the senior division for her research on the use of graphene oxide and methyltrimethoxysilane hydrophobic aerogels in adsorbing oil spills. Her placement earned her a spot at the International Science and Engineering Fair, which will be held in Columbus, Ohio. Jayakumar also received special recognition from several sponsoring organizations, including the Momentive Performance Materials Science Award, the SI Group Smart Chemistry Award and the U.S. Navy Award.
Ishika Yalamanchi was awarded third honorable mention in the senior division for her investigation into the antiviral response induced by the cytokine IL-6 in vascular endothelial cells. Her recognition includes an invitation to present at the State Science Congress Fair in Syracuse.
Other students were honored with awards from regional and national organizations. Sarah Al Shaarawi received the National Grid Award for Energy and Environment for her synthesis of thermoelectric nanoparticles using a commercial microwave to create a novel energy device. Saad Ashar was recognized with the U.S. Air Force Award and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s “Taking the Pulse of the Planet” Award for his deep learning model designed to enhance cloud coverage and movement predictions in New York State.
Emma Freed earned the Yale Science and Engineering Association Award and the NASA Space Award for her research on galaxy quenching in intermediate-sized dark matter halos. Surabhi Krishnan received the Society for In Vitro Biology Award for her study on the degradation of alpha-synuclein by a high-affinity binding N77D intrabody. Aleena Saleem was recognized with the Linda Austin DNA Science and Technology Award for her construction of a four-arm DNA junction for use in nanotechnology applications.
Also presenting at the fair were Yunus Ali, who studied event-related potentials as biomarkers; Ella Bagchi, who analyzed the effects of wildfire aerosols on phytoplankton populations in the North Pacific Ocean; Everitt Li, who conducted a general analysis of magma composition in the Goat Rocks volcanic complex; Divyansh Pramanick, who examined locomotion in optogenetically stimulated Drosophila melanogaster; and Rui Zheng, who developed a system for long-term continuous Raman imaging of live cells.
The annual fair, hosted at RPI, offers students the opportunity to showcase their work to scientists, educators, and professionals from throughout the state.
