Release

Upstate New York Junior Science and Humanities Symposium Showcases High School Scientists

Contact: Catherine Herman (518) 437-4980

ALBANY, N.Y. (March 21, 2006) -- The 21st Annual Upstate New York Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS) will bring together 450 high school scientists and others from across the state in a two day event that includes competition for prestigious awards and scholarships and workshops hosted by eminent area scientists.

Students and teachers from Westchester County to Western New York will convene at the Holiday Inn Turf on Wolf Road in Albany March 27 and 28 for the annual symposium which highlights the best scientific research conducted in high schools today. The 60 students presenting their work at the symposium were selected from over 500 students competing in three regional symposia in Upstate New York. The JSHS finalists will be chosen from five scientific disciplines. Winners will be announced on March 28 and scholarships will be awarded to students receiving Highest Honors, High Honors and Honors. All three final winners receive an expense paid trip to Albuquerque, New Mexico to compete in the national JSHS for more scholarships and a trip abroad to compete internationally.

The research presented at JSHS is wide ranging. For the 2006 symposium, research topics include: early detection methods for Alzheimer's Disease, the molecular causes of cancer, a study on a highly promising vaccination for cervical cancer, the growth of black holes in the early universe, development of a revolutionary new indicator of water quality, the effects of Autism on siblings, the relationship between academic achievement and religion; the physics of ballet, and the design for an all terrain wheelchair – to name a few. Judges for the symposium are eminent scientists from Capital Region universities and corporate research laboratories.

The symposium also includes four workshops on March 28 designed to provide technical assistance, career guidance and incentives. Among the workshops this year is It's Your Future: Top Women Scientists on the Opportunities for Women in the World of Information Technology and Biotechnology. The panel is composed of five of the Capital Regions top women scientists from the University at Albany, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, The Sage Colleges, and the ITT Institute.

The symposium's regular sponsors are the Academy of Applied Sciences; and the U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force, and the University at Albany. In addition to these sponsors, in 2006 the Albany College of Pharmacy offered two $20,000 scholarships to students with the best paper in the area of Biomedical Science; and the American Chemical Society – Corporate Associates is awarding, for the second year, a $750 scholarship for the student with the best paper in the area of Chemistry. Corporate sponsors for the 2006 symposium are the Business Council of NYS, MapInfo Corporation, Citizens Bank, and Taconic, Inc.

Over the past seven years, the Upstate New York JSHS has produced four first-place and two second-place winners at the national level.

For information about attending the Upstate New York JSHS, please contact Mary Cuffe-Perez, upstate NY JSHS Coordinator, at (518) 442-4030.

Symposium Overview:

March 27:
12:30 p.m.: Opening remarks by Jack Aernecke, WRGB-6 news anchor, and Dr. Daniel Wulff, JSHS director and Professor of Biology, University at Albany.

Certificates of Accomplishment presented to all presenters at the symposium.

2-4 p.m.: Concurrent sessions of students' research projects to teams of judges

6 p.m.: Awards dinner with keynote address by Dr. James Gozzo, President, Albany College of Pharmacy , "Organ Transplantation: Past, Present and Future."

Awards given in finalists in each session.

March 28:
8:30 a.m.: Presentations by the five finalists

10:45a.m. - noon: Workshops by scientists

Noon: Awards luncheon and announcement of three final winners and scholarship awards