Coraor Participates in Stony Brook Research Symposium
Juliana Coraor is making quite a name for herself in Long Island science circles. The Huntington High School junior recently competed at the LI Junior Science & Humanities Symposium at Stony Brook University.
"Many students apply to the symposium but only the top projects are selected for the competition," said teacher Lori Pyzocha-Kenny, who heads Huntington's science research program.
Ms. Coraor is one of the top students at Huntington High School and is becoming well-known in the Long Island science community. "I was proud of her hard work and tenacity that got her into the competition," Mrs. Pyzocha-Kenny said. "Students presented their PowerPoints to scientists in a format that mimics what scientists do in real lab settings."
Ms. Coraor's project focused on stem cells. "It was outstanding and she spoke as on her topic like a true scientist and defended her questions well," Mrs. Pyzocha-Kenny said. "While she did not win, she was able to experience the real setting of research and she was enthralled with the entire process."
The event, which held in the Charles B. Wang Center on the Stony Brook campus, included 90 students from 35 Long Island high schools. There were also 200 guests in attendance, including family members and teachers. Dr. Steven McKnight, a director with the U.S. Army Research Laboratory, observed the presentations and gave the keynote address.
"Juli is already at a point in her scholarly progress to be considered a young scientist and it is fun to see her development at such a young age," Mrs. Pyzocha-Kenny said. "Many of the students in the research course look to her for guidance as she is an amazing leader and we are so lucky to have her in our community."