Four juniors from Irvington High School – Lucy Acharekar, Madeline Barth, Max Bloom and Anna Dorokhova – presented their science research projects at the inaugural UAlbany in the High School Science Research Symposium on Feb. 26. The competitive event brought together the top 50 students from science research programs across the state.
Each student presented research on critical scientific issues. Acharekar presented her project, “Characterizing Bleeding and Factor Levels in Females in a National Hemophilia Genotyping Program.” Barth presented her project, “The Correlation Between Cerebrospinal Fluid Volume and the Presence of a Psychiatric Disorder.” Bloom presented his project, “The Structure Biology of TCR-pMHC Complexes in Autoimmune Disease,” and Dorokhova presented her project, “Designing a System to Determine Naked Mole Rat Dispersers.”
Bloom earned first place for his outstanding research and presentation.
“Max’s research looked at autoimmune diseases in a novel way,” Science Research teachers Amy Ma and Nadia Parikka said. “Applications include identification of high-risk autoimmune patients, new biomarkers to identify disease and new treatments for autoimmune disease. What set Max apart was his ability to make complex science accessible to others. When watching him present you could really see how much he enjoys what he is doing and his love for learning.”
The students’ achievements highlight the strength of the district’s Science Research program and its commitment to fostering future leaders in STEM.
