Science Students Present Their Research at Symposium

5/29/2024

Practice makes perfect. Thirty-two research students put that phrase to the test during the Masters Science Research Symposium on May 23 in Doc Wilson Hall.

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For newcomers like Lorelei Gary ’26, the event is a dry run before they participate in their first high school science fair.

Gary’s work, “The Effect of Social Media on Eco-anxiety in Adolescents,” was inspired by their interest in environmental studies and psychology. During the research process, Gary received guidance from professionals in the psychiatry field, Dr. David Saunders at Columbia University and Dr. Laelia Benoit at Yale University.

“Presenting at the symposium helped me understand what people want to hear about more as well as the kinds of questions people ask,” Gary said.

The annual event is an opportunity for science research students in grades 10-12 to present their posters and explain their research in front of faculty, classmates and family members. The variety of topics cover biology, psychology, physics, astronomy, environmental science, computer science and engineering.

For Kristina Gremski, upper school science teacher and Science Research Program director, it’s a moment to see her students shine. “The first-year science research students were nervous before the symposium, but they looked very poised and mature during their presentations.”

Combining his love of birds with his passion for evolution and genetics, Alex Pinnock ’26 presented his work “Chromosome Corruption: The Evolution of The Neo-W Chromosome of Prinia subflava.”

“The symposium helped me to practice my oral presentation in front of real people who aren’t so familiar with the topic at hand, letting me learn more about how to articulate my research more efficiently,” said Pinnock, who will be continuing his research this summer on bird sex chromosomes with Dr. Michael Sorenson at Boston University.

Nico Khoury-Levy ’26 and Michael Stoica ’25 will be busy this summer working with Dr. Rajiv Ratan P’22, ’24 at Burke Neurological Institute in White Plains, a lab that focuses on neuronal cell death.

This summer, Mia Steinwurtzel '26 will work with Dr. Anna Penn at Columbia University and focus her research on the role of placental hormones during embryo brain development.

Post symposium, Gremski reflected on “the wide variety of topics” that the students chose which gave her “a chance to read about current research in so many different areas.”