In partnership with the state Department of Education and STEP, the college coordinates the program for Schenectady County middle and high school students. The program focuses on science, technology, math and licensed-professional fields.
The college had two science and research team entries accepted into the STEP Conference, beating out 65 other teams from across the state. Each project was judged on abstracts, oral presentations, research methods, knowledge of subject matter, lab reports, handouts and poster displays.
The first-place winning abstract, “Does the Root of the Common Dandelion Contain Concentrated Levels of Antibiotic Activity?” was entered by the following Schenectady High School students: Ben Acevedo, Ezria Brown, Andre Butler and Demire Coffin-Williams. Union College students Charelle Carter and Lorlette Haughton were mentors on the project and Brian Cohen, professor of biology, advised the group.
Students tried to determine if dandelions hold antibodies by grinding the roots and placing them in three agar plates with E. coli bacteria. The plates contained acetone, ethanol or tap water and the positive control for the experiment was Ampicillin. The study concluded that the roots do not contain high levels of antibiotic activity.
A second abstract, “London Bridge is Falling Down” was entered by the following Schenectady City School District students: Brandon Burke, Marse Pulley, Jonpaul Brown, Nathan Kipniss and Jocelyn Girigorie. Union College students Simi Koshy and Kevin Jaquez were mentors on the project and Ashraf Ghaly, professor of engineering, advised the group.
The objective was to design a bridge that could support its own weight and the weight of a four-ton vehicle while keeping the price of construction under $350,000. Students used the West Point Bridge Design 2006 computer program and, through trial and error, their truss bridge met all of the specified requirements.
The Union College STEP program is coordinated by Angela Blair and directed by Gretchel Hathaway Tyson. The college holds Saturday workshops and summer programs for local students. For more information, call 388-6000.