Congratulations to Sayville High School Senior Rebecca Monastero for being one of the 53 Long Island science students named from among the 300 national semifinalists in the Intel Science Talent Search, Rebecca’s research on participants from Long Island, entitled Interactions of Mercury and Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Avid Seafood Consumers, for which she earned her semifinalist status, was conducted this past summer as a Simons Fellow at Stony Brook University under the mentorship of Dr. Jaymie Meliker.
The objectives of this epidemiology study were to cluster seafood consumers based on dietary patterns to investigate relationships between seafood consumption, mercury, omega-3s, and endpoints including anxiety, hypertension, and difficulty sleeping.
“She is well-deserving of this wonderful achievement. I am so proud of her!" said her Sayville Science Research Teacher Maria Brown,
Since submitting her project, Rebecca has continued her research. Using a mercury analyzer at Freeport High School under the direction of Science Research Teacher Ed Irwin, Rebecca had been analyzing locally caught tuna/salmon for mercury. She will be returning to Stony Brook University this month where she will analyze the remaining data that was collected since August, 2012.
The top 40 projects out of the pool of 300 semifinalists will be announced on Jan 23.
According to its website, “the Intel Science Talent Search (Intel STS) is the nation's most prestigious pre-college science competition. Alumni of STS have made extraordinary contributions to science and hold more than 100 of the world's most coveted science and math honors, including the Nobel Prize and National Medal of Science. The Intel STS recognizes 300 students and their schools as semifinalists each year to compete for $1.25 million in awards.
From that select pool, 40 finalists are then invited to Washington, D.C. in March to participate in final judging, display their work to the public, meet with notable scientists, and compete for the top award of $100,000.”
Congratulating Rebecca (third from left) are, left to right, Sayville Deputy Superintendent of Curriculum, Instruction, & Pupil Personnel Services Dr. Geraldine Sullivan Keck, Science Research Teacher Maria Brown, Science Department Chairperson Jennifer Byrnes, High School Principal Ronald Hoffer and Sayville Superintendent of Schools Dr. Walter Schartner.
