2010 Young Hall of Famers


This year's Long Island Intel finalists and their projects



LEVENT ALPOGE, 17
Half Hollow Hills High School West, Dix Hills PROJECT: "A Non-Parametric, Massively Parallelized Multiscale Vessel Detection Method for Complex Vascular Structures" DESCRIPTION: Researched an improved method of detecting stenosis, a narrowing of blood vessels underlying many health problems. TEACHER: Michael Lake SUPERVISING SCIENTIST: Xenophon Papademetris, Yale University


ERIC BROOKS, 16
George W. Hewlett High School, Hewlett PROJECT: "Transition from Indolent to Metastatic Prostate Cancer Characterized through the Health Disparity between African American and Caucasian American Men" DESCRIPTION: Studied prostate cancer genomics to begin identifying why the disease sometimes metastasizes or spreads, to help scientists decide whether uncomfortable treatments are necessary early on. TEACHER: Patricia Nardi SUPERVISING SCIENTIST: Alex Pearlman, New York University Lanson Medical Center


YUVAL CALEV, 17
Ward Melville High School, East Setauket PROJECT: "Language Perception, Production and Memory: A Comparison of Older and Younger Adults" DESCRIPTION: Studied relationships between memory, speech process and perception, which may help in research of memory deterioration and its effects. TEACHER: George Baldo SUPERVISING SCIENTIST: Arthur Samuel, Stony Brook University


MICHAEL COMUNIELLO, 17
Division Avenue High School, Levittown PROJECT: "Science Fair, Science Unfair: Analysis of Equity in High School Science Research Education" DESCRIPTION: Looked at factors that help some high schools succeed in national science competitions year after year, while other high schools succeed only rarely. TEACHER: Gerard Marzigliano SUPERVISING SCIENTIST: None


RUOYI JIANG, 17
Ward Melville High School, East Setauket PROJECT: "Targeting Loop Dynamics in BetaI/BetaIII Isotype Turbulin: The Application of In Silico Techniques in Combating Chemotherapy Drug Resistance" DESCRIPTION: Used a supercomputer to learn why resistance often develops with the cancer drug Paclitaxel, and how resistance can be overcome. TEACHER: George Baldo SUPERVISING SCIENTIST: Carlos Simmerling, Stony Brook University


PAUL MASIH DAS, 17
Lawrence High School, Cedarhurst PROJECT: "A Novel Chemical Synthesis for >1 Mu2 Graphene Sheets" DESCRIPTION: Developed a new and innovative synthesis method for graphene, a sheet of densely packed carbon atoms. TEACHER: Rebecca Isseroff SUPERVISING SCIENTIST: Miriam Rafailovich, Stony Brook University


JOSHUA PFEFFER, 17
North Shore Hebrew Academy, Great Neck PROJECT: "Super Kahler-Ricci Flow" DESCRIPTION: Generalized a geometric flow equation called "Super Kahler-Ricci Flow" to spaces known as supermanifolds, which are part of string theory. The theory is a concept in physics that treats subatomic particles as one-dimensional strings. TEACHER: Allen Sachs SUPERVISING SCIENTIST: Martin Rocek, Stony Brook University


KEVIN XU, 17
Roslyn High School, Roslyn Heights PROJECT: "Relationships between Oncologist Gender, Participatory Decision Making, Anxiety and Breast Cancer Cure" DESCRIPTION: Investigated effects of doctor-patient relationships on breast cancer treatment in urban settings - a study that underlined the need for both parties to be informed about benefits of radiotherapy. TEACHER: Allyson Weseley SUPERVISING SCIENTIST: None


LORI YING, 17
South Side High School, Rockville Centre PROJECT: "Female Mating Patterns and Mate Quality in the Dengue Vector Mosquito, Aedes aegypti" DESCRIPTION: Studied the application of genetic control strategy in reducing cases of dengue fever. TEACHER: Herb Weiss SUPERVISING SCIENTIST: Laura Harrington, Cornell University