By CAROLINE CHEN
Throughout the years, Jericho has been renowned for its excellent record at science research competitions, due to the combination of diligence and brilliance of both the students and their teacher, Dr. Serena McCalla.
The twelve members of Jericho High School’s science research class of 2017 have excelled in their endeavors, evidenced by their record-breaking achievements. This year, 75% of the class were named Regeneron Science Talent Search (STS) Scholars out of the 300 Scholars chosen nationally, each winning $2,000 individually, as well as an aggregate of $18,000 for the school. These 9 students: Ruiwen (Doris) Fu, Grace Hu, Justin Kim, Nathaniel Lee, Sandra Li, Adam Pahlavan, Brian Sang, Archana Verma, and Zhitong (John) Wang—comprise the greatest number of Scholars in the nation and have broken Jericho’s record of 8 STS semifinalists, achieved by the science research class of 2014.
On January 24th, 2017, two of Jericho’s Regeneron Scholars, Nathaniel Lee and Archana Verma, were named Regeneron STS finalists, out of the 40 finalists chosen nationally. Nathaniel and Archana visited Washington, D.C. from March 9th-15th for further judging and competition. Nathaniel won $25,000, while Archana earned 5th place—the first Top 10 win Jericho has ever achieved—and $92,000.
“To be honest, I didn’t believe it at first. I was completely overwhelmed. Given that I chose Jericho for the research program (out of several other New York/New Jersey schools), and almost dropped research junior year, it’s really a testament to the work I have done to develop my project over the years,” said Archana.
Jessica Huang, Jericho’s Intel STS finalist of the Class of 2016, said, “STS was an experience that opened my eyes to what the world is doing in science and helped me understand exciting paths in STEM. I left the experience feeling optimistic about the future and excited about impacting the world, so for these current JHS seniors, they’re already excited about STEM and I’m a firm advocate for how going to STS will only add to their passion and resolve.”
In addition to the record Regeneron STS achievement, the research class yielded half of its students—Grace Hu, Justin Kim, Nathaniel Lee, Sandra Li, Adam Pahlavan, and Serena Tam—as Siemens Competition National Semifinalists, out of more than 1,600 submissions in the nation. Furthermore, four seniors—Doris Fu, Grace Hu, Archana Verma, and John Wang—won 1st place at the either the Long Island Science and Engineering Fair (LISEF) or the New York State Science and Engineering Fair (NYSSEF) and will be attending the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Los Angeles, California, from May 14th-19th.
Derek Xu, a Siemens Competition National Semifinalist of the Class of 2015, said, “Being in the senior class, all the way from sophomore year, is like reaching the top of a mountain. You can look below you and see all that you’ve achieved so far, while at the same time you’ll also get a nice view of what’s beyond. You might even see higher goals to set for yourself, with some reaching all the way to the stars.”
