HFCSD seniors Lana Graves, Logan Staunton, and Dominick Doyle presented at the Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS) competition Jan. 28 and walked away lauded for their presentations.
The highlight was senior Dominick Doyle, who won first place in his category. Hudson Falls has never had a first place winner in our research history. “We have had several second and third place finishers but never a first,” said teacher Tom Vartuli.
Dom is now invited to present at the Upstate JSHS, held at The University at Albany on March 8-9. This is the state competition, in which the best of the best of the sub-regional from around the state compete. If he places in the top 5 there, he will be invited to the national level. We wish Dom luck and will update his progress in his quest for Nationals.
Among 80 competitors from 17 regional schools, they each gave a 12-minute presentation in front of judges and received very positive feedback from judges and moderators said Physics and Science Research teacher Tom Vartuli.
The research science course is a three-year elective in which students choose a topic and carry out an original research project on that topic. The student does ALL of what professional researchers do,from journal readings to finding a mentor, planning a project, and carrying it out to an appropriate research conclusion. As the work progresses, the student writes research papers, creates posters, and presents research findings at available competitions and symposia as determined by the instructor. During the student’s junior and senior years, he or she may elect to take the course for college credit for a total of up to twelve credits at the State University of New York.
The director of the program is Thomas Vartuli and anyone looking for more information about the program should visit the science research website.
