Islip High School students participating in the Student Partnerships for Advanced Research and Knowledge (SPARK) program at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) recently visited the lab to work on a beamline at the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLSII). SPARK provides high schoolers with an opportunity to become visiting researchers at the lab’s scientific facilities.

The young Islip scientists, in conjunction with fellow high schoolers from Eastport-South Manor High School, are working to determine the structure of a protein that has never been resolved before: a Beta-lactamase that plays a role in antibiotic resistance.  After trying to grow the crystals themselves without success, they worked collaboratively with Dr. Scott Lovell at Kansas University. He grew the crystals with his far superior lab equipment, then shared the images with the students remotely. They selected the crystals most likely to produce good data, and Dr. Lovell shipped them to Long Island. With the help of NYX beamline scientist Dr. Kevin Battaile, students gathered data on a total of eight samples. The next step will be to use the imaging software Phenix and COOT to determine the protein structure. Islip students will be presenting their work at both the NSLSII Users Meeting and the OSSP Symposium at BNL later this spring.

Date Added: 4/9/2024

Islip High School Virtual Enterprise students recently visited a new local store, Redefine Meals, a healthy meal prep business. Students met with the owners and management team to learn about their business plan, target market, supply chain and logistics of the business.

“It was a great way for our entrepreneurial students to connect what they’ve learned in the classroom with real world businesses,” teacher Renee Clock said. “Students experienced a firsthand account of how two college students looking for a healthy, well-balanced meal turned that ‘want’ into a business idea. Our students were able to relate to the business plan idea, and asked about break-even configurations and customer and employee retention, among other topics.”

Date Added: 4/4/2024

The Islip High School PTSA’s recent Fashion Show was a huge success. The annual event acts as a fundraiser for scholarships and student events. For this year’s show, student Lucas Bohr served as the dapper master of ceremonies and Suffolk County Legislator Samuel Gonzalez was the guest announcer. Dresses were provided by the Town of Islip Youth Bureau, Sweet Simplicity of Islip and Nalu Dry Goods in Bay Shore.

“As always, the students who modeled and those who helped set up, organize and run the show did a fantastic job,” PTSA President Stacey Zurbaran said.

Date Added: 4/2/2024

Continuing a fundamental annual event in Islip’s secondary schools, World Language Immersion Day took place at Islip Middle School on March 15. Juniors and seniors in Islip High School’s World Language Honor Society modeled usage, comprehensibility and proficiency of Italian and Spanish through various student-created activities for seventh-grade Islip Middle School language learners.

“Immersion Day is always a fun opportunity to encourage and engage students while promoting global citizenship through immersive collaboration,” World Language Honor Society adviser Megan Schierhorst said.

Date Added: 4/1/2024

Students enrolled in Islip High School’s new Living Environment Advanced Placement Environmental Science (LEAPES) course recently visited waste management facilities in the Town of Islip. The class had just begun a unit on waste management, so this field trip served as an instructional launching pad, giving the students insight about what happens to their refuse once it is picked up curbside.  

The science students first arrived at the Hauppauge Landfill, where they were given an overview of the history of the facility. After a brief bus tour of the rolling hills of decomposing material, they went across the street to the wastewater treatment facility, where Islip alumna Kennedy Esposito provided a step-by-step account of what happens to the water pumped from under the landfill before it is transported for further treatment. Next, the students visited the waste-to-energy facility, where they were given a tour of the incinerator control room and observed a long line of garbage trucks emptying refuse, which was lifted by an enormous claw. Students asked interesting questions, expertly answered by facility staff, before heading back to the bus for their final two stops. At the composting recycling facility, students observed various yard wastes that are composted into topsoil and other landscaping materials. Massive amounts of recyclables were being bulldozed, shifted and sorted inside and outside the materials recycling facility, and the high schoolers were able to see all the mechanisms used to sort the various materials.

“The trip to the waste management facilities was very informational,” student Sophia Marra said. “We learned many things, like how when trash is buried in landfills it creates toxins that can leech into the soil, so each landfill must be capped and have a liner.”

“The trip gave us a lot of information about the recycling process,” student Christian Orozovich said. “The coolest thing I learned was that the smoke that comes out of the incinerator is mostly water vapor, meaning less pollution than people think.”

“The best part of the trip was probably seeing the control room of the Covanta plant,” student Nicholas Gulick said.

“It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and extremely educational, and better yet, we got to see what happens to your unwanted trash,” student Colin Sidlo said.

“Although it was a cold day, the students had an enjoyable and interesting trip,” science teacher Frank Vaughn said. “Thanks to Kennedy Esposito and Town of Islip recycling educator Danielle Wynn for their assistance and expertise.”

Date Added: 3/28/2024