It has been a standout year for Bethpage science students, who brought home top honors from some of the most prestigious research competitions on Long Island and across New York State. From environmental science to robotics to microbiology, Bethpage researchers made a strong impression at every level.
At the Long Island Science & Engineering Fair (LISEF), Bethpage students earned recognition across multiple categories. Junior Partap Sidhu took first place in the Technology category for his project, “NeuroGait: A Low-Cost, Mind-Controlled Pneumatic Exoskeleton With CNN-Based Control for Individuals with Lower-Limb Mobility Impairments Using Brain Computer Interface.” Sidhu also received the SAAWA special award and earned a bid to compete at the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF).
Anjali Ponugupati earned second place in the Environment Related category for her research on the effect of pH-modified dissolved organic matter on PFAS adsorption by granular activated carbon.
Gyuree Kim, competing as part of a team with Liana Cheng and Jacey Lin from Smithtown High School West, received an Honorable Mention in the Biology Related category for a comparative study of soil bacteria and their effects on wheat plant health and growth. The team also received the Society for In Vitro Biology special award.
The team of Andres Bonetti, Aryaan Khalfan and Sarah Oh received an Honorable Mention in the Environment-Related category for their investigation into how proximity to urbanized areas affects heavy metal concentrations in salt marshes.
Several Bethpage students continued their success at the state level, garnering awards at the New York State Science & Engineering Fair (NYSSEF). Partap Sidhu earned first place in the Robotics & Intelligent Machines category, again for his NeuroGait exoskeleton project. Anjali Ponugupati received an Honorable Mention in the Environmental Science category and was named the recipient of the U.S. Stockholm Junior Water Prize. Gyuree Kim, again competing with her Smithtown teammates, took second place in the Microbiology category.
Bethpage students were well-represented among the top award winners at the Long Island Science Congress (LISC). In the Senior Division, Grace Cho, Madhav Kawatra, Benjamin Maciel-Seidman and Anjali Ponugupati all received top honors. Cho and Kawatra were recognized for their machine-learning analysis of vocal features for predicting Parkinson's disease. Maciel-Seidman was honored for his work on scalable perturbation screening using imaging and protein-based barcodes.
In the Junior Division, five Bethpage students earned top awards: Nick Jiang for his research on the regenerative effects of St. John's Wort in planaria; Trisha Patel for her study on sandalwood essential oil and adolescent stress and blood pressure; Shreya Purohit for her examination of the relationship between hypoglycemia-induced anxiety and logical problem-solving in non-diabetic adolescents; Bir Sidhu for his low-cost animatronic prosthetic using an EMG muscle sensor; and Gabriel Wegrowski for his development of an eco-friendly vapor barrier.
Finally, at the Southeast Asian American Women’s Alliance (SAAWA), the team of Andres Bonetti, Aryaan Khalfan and Sarah Oh received an Honorable Mention in the Environmental Science category for their salt marsh heavy metal concentration research.
It was a strong year for Bethpage science students. Thank you to the dedicated teachers and staff of the Bethpage High School science department, whose guidance and mentorship provide students with the foundation and confidence to pursue research at this level. And congratulations to all our students on their well-earned recognitions!
