Long Island high school STEM students addressed climate change during this year’s Medical Marvels competition

Plainview-Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy High School students were awarded the title of Medical Marvels in this year’s 11th annual science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) research competition, hosted by The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research and Northwell Health’s Workforce Readiness department within Corporate Human Resources. More than 120 high school freshmen and sophomores from Long Island and New York City wrote research papers, designed scientific posters and presented novel ways to tackle climate change and global warming. The all-girls winning STEM team was announced on March 3 after the finalists presented their ideas in person at the Feinstein Institutes.

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Winners of this year’s Medical Marvels (left to right): Abigail Rajan, Chloe Ng, Zahara Naqvi, Haley Brodzansky, Sophie Hu (Credit: Feinstein Institutes)

Students from 19 schools were tasked with the hypothetical challenge to better understand the effects of climate change in their school and community and develop new ways to lower and measure greenhouse gas emissions. Their challenge was to recognize how social determinants of health, like food insecurity, could lead to increased health effects of climate change.

Some of the ideas proposed include solar panels to electrifying school bus fleets and reduce food waste. Teams were required to submit a scientific poster, including a scientific research assessment of the topic, a technological component, outline the community partners they would need to engage and methods to assess the success of their hypothetical solutions. A panel of scientists, clinicians and health care administrators evaluated the posters, papers and presentation using a five-point scale scoring rubric. The applications were judged for qualities such as innovation, clarity, approach and measurement of success.

“For 11 years, we have tasked Long Island’s brightest young minds to critically think about some of the most complex topics, from human trafficking to gun violence and now climate change. And every year, these students never fail to impress,” said Ines Ruiz vanBoom, assistant vice president of Workforce Readiness at Northwell Health. “We hope the Medical Marvels program will inspire future scientists, engineers, doctors and change-makers to make our communities a better and healthier place to live.”

The winning students from Plainview-Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy High School included Haley Brodzansky, Sophie Hu, Zahara Naqvi, Chloe Ng and Abigail Rajan. The team will split a $1,800 scholarship. The students presented a multifaceted approach to convert algae to produce biofuel, reformulate a corporate social responsibility score index to hold their school accountable for their efforts and partner with Ecosia. This web browser uses ad-revenue to support the planting of trees.

During the in-person presentation event, leaders across Northwell Health shared valuable insight around the issue of climate change, including a keynote address from Teresa Amato, MD, vice president of resource management at Northwell Health. In addition, students attended multiple workshops about the intersection of climate, health and human behavior, corporate social responsibility, community engagement and the mental health effects of climate change. During the in-person presentation event, leaders across Northwell Health shared valuable insight around the issue of climate change, including a keynote address from Teresa Amato, MD, vice president of resource management at Northwell Health. In addition, students attended multiple workshops about the intersection of climate, health and human behavior, corporate social responsibility, community engagement and the mental health effects of climate change.

“Today’s high school students will one day be leaders in medicine, science, public health, and technology,” said Kevin J. Tracey, MD, president and CEO of the Feinstein Institutes and Karches Family Distinguished Chair in Medical Research. “The Feinstein Institutes at Northwell is proud to host these Medical Marvels and to be inspired by their ideas, innovation and intelligence.”

Students from Sewanhaka High School placed second, while Hicksville High School and Baldwin High School tied for third place. The second-place team will receive a $1,000 scholarship and the third-place teams will each receive a $500 scholarship.

About the Feinstein Institutes

The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research is the home of the research institutes of Northwell Health, the largest health care provider and private employer in New York State. Encompassing 50 research labs, 3,000 clinical research studies and 5,000 researchers and staff, the Feinstein Institutes raises the standard of medical innovation through its five institutes of behavioral science, bioelectronic medicine, cancer, health system science, and molecular medicine. We make breakthroughs in genetics, oncology, brain research, mental health, autoimmunity, and are the global scientific leader in bioelectronic medicine – a new field of science that has the potential to revolutionize medicine. For more information about how we produce knowledge to cure disease, visit http://feinstein.northwell.edu and follow us on LinkedIn.

About Medical Marvels

An annual STEM competition for ninth and tenth grade high school students, The Medical Marvels program believes in the academic promise of all students, and that by investing in their ideas, the future health and well-being of our community will be served. They also believe that by investing in youth and giving them a sense of place and responsibility for problem solving in the community, a community ensures that it will have bright and capable future leaders for STEM careers. Any New York State-accredited educational institution in Nassau, Suffolk, Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Staten Island, or Westchester is eligible to participate. Medical Marvels was established in 2013 by the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research and Northwell Health’s Center for Workforce Readiness.

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