Warwick Valley High School seniors recognized with science research awards

WARWICK — Warwick Valley High School seniors Thomas Dunnigan, Ava Ghobadian and Brian Reiber presented their three-year science research projects at the Greater Capital Region Science & Engineering Fair (GCRSEF) competition, held at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, on March 23.
They brought home two achievement awards.
“Science fairs provide an opportunity to recognize the achievements of talented science, mathematics and engineering students,” said science teacher Lisa Reece. “They get to showcase their original research projects, and it’s through original research that students can best understand the nature of science.”
GCRSEF awardeesThomas Dunnigan was honored with the ASM Materials Education Foundation Award for the best materials in an engineering project.
"GCRSEF was a fantastic experience and opportunity to present the culmination of my three years of research, and interact with my peers from all around New York," Dunnigan said.
Ava Ghobadian received the Price Chopper Golub Foundation Award for a project on good nutrition that promotes good health.
"GCRSEF was a phenomenal experience,” Ghobadian said. “It allowed us, young researchers, to explore our scientific curiosity and display our hard work through presentation and educated discussions."
Networking opportunitiesParticipating students also enjoyed a tour of Rensselaer and benefited from the fair’s networking opportunities as they consider higher education and careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math).
"GCRSEF gave me the opportunity to present my original research to leading members of my field, and allowed me to connect with my scientific peers from across the state," Reiber said.
About the Science Research courseAn outreach program of the State University of New York at Albany, the three-year science research curriculum gives students the opportunity to conduct original research on a topic that interests them and work with professional scientists acting as mentors.
About GCRSEFGCRSEF is an affiliate of the Intel International Science & Engineering Fair and the STANYS Science Congress. Rensselaer has hosted and sponsored this event for 29 consecutive years.