– First Place – Human Services
Two teams of high school and middle school students mentored by Union College students placed first and second in the statewide Science and Technology Entry Program (STEP) competition in Albany. The annual competition was the culmination of a weekend-long conference in Albany on March 12-14.
STEP is a statewide program to help prepare historically underrepresented or economically disadvantaged secondary students for entry into college, with a focus on science, technology and health-related fields.
Local high school and middle school student teams who researched a specific science or technology-related subject area were judged on their oral presentations, research design, posters, and handouts. The college students have been working with their public school student teams for several weeks. At Union College, the STEP is one of several volunteer and community service programs that operate out of the Kenney Center on Nott Street. Union College student-mentored teams competed against teams from numerous colleges in New York state, including Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Rochester Institute of Technology, Fordham University and the State University at Albany.
Second Place – Technology
The first-place award was in the area of human service research. The team's project, “Embryonic Stem Cell Research,” reflects on ethical issues as well as benefits that embryonic stem cell research brings to the medical field. This project specifically focuses on the research and its relationship to health risk preventions and cures of diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and diabetes. Winners are: Britnie Girigorie, a 10th grader at Niskayuna High School, and Ariel Thurman, 7th grader, and Ezria Brown, 8th grader, both from Mont Pleasant Middle School in Schenectady. Union mentors were seniors Angelo Cross and Kara Cotich.
The second-place award was in the area of technology. The team's project, “How does solar energy affect a turbine?” studied a turbine that uses light energy that converts to heat energy, which then converts to kinetic energy, causing the turbine to spin. From this process, the turbine produces mechanical energy. Data was collected on the number of turbine turns produced as a result of different light intensities. Winners are: Domonica Farley, a 9th grader at Schenectady High School; and Marina Bianchi, 7th grader, and Brian Nowell, 8th grader, both from Central Park Middle School in Schenectady. Union students Cross and Cotich also mentored this team.
Union faculty and staff who supported this program include program director Gretchel Hathaway Tyson; program coordinator Cyria Lobo; and faculty members James Hedrick from engineering, Stephen Jones from anthropology, Stephen Romero from psychology, and Twitty Styles (ret.) from biology.
The Union College Science and Technology Entry Program is sponsored by the New York State Department of Education and Union College.