Union College students will lead three teams of area middle and high-school students competing in the 10th annual Science and Technology Entry Program (STEP) Research Conference Friday, March 28 through Sunday, March 30, 2008, at the Albany Marriott.
The statewide poster competition caps off student research begun during the three-week, intensive summer program at the Kenney Community Center and continued throughout the academic year.
Last year, a team coached by Union students took a first place in the “Technology” category. A member of that team was Jocelyn Girigorie from Niskayuna High School. She returns this year to a team mentored by Sarai Canario ’09. Other members include Natalie Graham (Scotia-Glenville High School) and Marsé Pulley (Schenectady High School). The title of their research project is “Glucose and its Effect on Memory.”
“Since students tend to love sugar and other unhealthy foods, we wanted to understand how the consumption of sugar affects our memory,” said Girigorie.
Hyma Kavuri ’10 led a group of eight-grade students from Mont Pleasant Middle School who studied water pollution in Schenectady-area streams. Tatiana Edmonson, Earl Co, Matthew Schleich and Alvin Doodnauth compared levels of E. coli and other contaminants in the stream that runs through Jackson’s Garden on campus and two others in Schenectady County.
The final project paired Mushfique Ahmed ’10, with Schenectady High School students Jonpaul Brown, Serge Wamukendi, Joshua Fields and Jedai Stevens. The group compared electricity from solar energy to electricity from fossil fuels to determine the impact of using renewable energy sources. They also cooled a can of soda using a solar-powered refrigerator.
Union faculty that assisted with the projects include James Hedrick, lecturer, Electrical and Computer Engineering; Engineering Professors Ashraf Ghaly and Richard Wilk; and Assistant Professor of Biology Jeff Corbin.
Established in 1985, STEP provides state grants to prepare middle and high school students from underrepresented populations or economically disadvantaged backgrounds to pursue postsecondary study in science, technology and health-related fields.
Union’s Kenney Community Center has been offering both summer and academic-year STEP opportunities since 1996.
For more information, contact STEP Assistant Director Angela Blair at (518) 388-6609 or blaira@union.edu