Long Island high school STEM students tackle social media use and mental health in this year’s Medical Marvels competition

Chaminade High School students earned the title “Medical Marvels” at the 13th annual STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) research competition, hosted by Northwell Health’s The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research and Career Services. More than 180 freshmen and sophomores from Long Island and New York City entered the competition by submitting research papers and presentations focused on ways to better educate others on the effects of social media use and mental health. The winning team was announced on Feb. 28, following final presentations at the Feinstein Institutes headquarters in Manhasset, NY.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250310500533/en/

The winning team; Mateo Solis, Ty Miranda, Andrew Dargento, Luke Krinsky and Christopher Covelli. (Credit: Feinstein Institutes).

Students from 33 schools were tasked with making recommendations for a hypothetical scenario in which a local councilman seeks solutions to lessen the negative impact of social media on adolescent mental health. In this scenario, he asks the participants to partner with local school district superintendents to implement strategies other students could use to improve their overall well-being. The goal is to decrease social media usage and improve mental health by promoting in-person social interactions and educating them about the negative effects of excessive screen time. ​

The teams submitted a scientific research paper to answer key considerations, including what solutions they would put into place and how to measure success. And they created and presented scientific posters. A panel of scientists, clinicians and health care administrators evaluated the submissions and presentations using a five-point scale scoring rubric. The applications were judged for qualities such as innovation, clarity, approach and measurement of success.

“For 13 years, we’ve challenged Long Island’s brightest young minds to tackle pressing societal issues –they never fail to impress and suggest ways to create positive change,” said Lauren Pearson, director of Talent Sourcing at Northwell. “We also hope that the Medical Marvels event continues to inspire future scientists, engineers, doctors and leaders to improve and strengthen our communities.”

The winning students – who will share $1,800 – from Chaminade High School included Christopher Covelli, Andrew Dargento, Luke Krinsky, Ty Miranda and Mateo Solis. The team proposed a comprehensive plan that addresses the negative mental health effects of excessive social media use among adolescents through community engagement, an app called “MediaMindful,” and other educational initiatives.

Students from Queens High School for the Sciences at York College placed second while Elmont Memorial High School placed third. The second-place team will receive a $1,000 scholarship and the third place teams will each receive a $500 scholarship.

“The Medical Marvels projects mean we can all be optimistic about future advances 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 is pleased to celebrate these high school students as future leaders in STEM.”

During the event, Northwell leaders shared their perspectives about the importance of STEM. Vera Feuer, MD, associate vice president for Northwell Health’s School Mental Health and child and adolescent psychiatrist, gave a keynote address discussing the challenges and opportunities facing today’s youth, particularly in the context of rapidly evolving technology.

Northwell has partnered with school districts on Long Island to increase access to behavioral and mental health care for children with Behavioral Health Centers (BHC) that provide urgent or same-day behavioral or mental health intervention for conditions that don’t require the services of the emergency room. BHCs also provide short-term crisis care and follow-up for students who need immediate services and help support families connect with ongoing care in the community.

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 six institutes of behavioral science, bioelectronic medicine, cancer, health system science, molecular medicine, and translational research. We are the global scientific leader in bioelectronic medicine – an innovative field of science that has the potential to revolutionize medicine. The Feinstein Institutes publishes two open-access, international peer-reviewed journals Molecular Medicine and Bioelectronic Medicine. Through the Elmezzi Graduate School of Molecular Medicine, we offer an accelerated PhD program. For more information about how we produce knowledge to cure disease, visit http://feinstein.northwell.edu and follow us on LinkedIn.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250310500533/en/