BIO: Abigale Verrechia is a senior at John Jay High School. She is involved with many of the schools clubs including the National Honors Society and Italian Honors Society. Outside of school, she likes to spend her free time doing gymnastics, coaching soccer, and snowboarding. This is her third year in Science Research studying invasive species and specifically invasive plants. She plans to study Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Connecticut in hopes to become an orthodontist.

BIO: Diya Biguvu is currently in 11th grade at John Jay High School. She is interested in studying the brain, focusing on cognitive sciences and behavior. She plays volleyball for the school team and she enjoys going on walks outside and hanging out with her friends.

BIO: Pallavi is in 11th grade and she is interested in psychological and health sciences. In her free time she enjoys playing tennis and violin on her tennis team and orchestra at school. She is also in the Robotics Club at school where she manages the social media.

BIO: Hi, my name is Joanna George and I am in 11th Grade. I am in Science Research 2, and I am currently interested in researching into Environmental Science. My current project is about quantifying microplastics in the Hudson River, and analyzing different possible factors. I play the violin and am on our school's tennis team. I love playing with my dog, Jack, and hanging out with my friends.

BIO: Varshini Kondoju is an 11th-grade student with a passion for both dance and science. She actively participates in various dance performances while maintaining a strong academic record, especially with her love for science courses. Outside of school, Varshini enjoys dancing, drawing, going on long walks, and baking. Varshini looks forward to pursuing a career in biological sciences. Stay tuned for more updates on her exciting journey!

BIO: Emma is a junior that is passionate about environmental studies and policy. She is currently researching the effectiveness of different coagulants in removing phosphate from wastewater samples. She is looking forward to doing more in-depth research on water treatment and the recovery of freshwater ecosystems from eutrophication. She loves to hike, bike, and participate in other outdoor activities in her free time.

BIO: Areej is a junior and this is her second year in the science research program. This year, she decided to investigate how pH affects the yield of lettuce crops, as soil acidification is prevalent. She likes to code, read, skate, do gymnastics, and swim. She's a part of the Science Olympiad team at John Jay High School.

BIO: Devanshi Pandya is a junior at John Jay Senior High School graduating during the summer of 2025. She has been researching the topic of dementia and music therapy in the topic of neurology. Outside of school, she is a budding Indian classical singer and kathak dancer. Her hobbies include choreographing dances, drawing, running, and reading. 

BIO: Nash is a 11th grader that is passionate about cybersecurity and plans to pursue a career in penetration testing. In his free time he loves learning about physics and chemistry. He is active in FTC Robotics, Science Olympiad, and Math Team at John Jay. This is his first year in Science Research and he is currently researching unintentional radio emissions from video displays.

BIO: Hiroyuki Sakuma is a junior and is interested in engineering, trains, and superconductors. Devoting a majority of his time to the school robotics club, he is the team's design leader and works on CAD. He also attends a Japanese weekend school. 

BIO: Charlotte Wang is in 11th grade, and this is her second year in the science research program. Her research is focused on the properties of bioplastics, specifically PLA, which she conducts with the help of her mentor, Professor Jeremy Feldblyum from UAlbany. Charlotte is also involved in various school activities, including Cross Country, Track and Field, Symphonic Band, Math Honor Society, Math Team, The Patriot Post, Science Research Club, and Science Olympiad. Outside of school, Charlotte dances at Pinewood School of Dance, takes private clarinet lessons, and teaches Mandarin at the Mid-Hudson Chinese Language Center. She is excited for you all to see her research presented at the symposium! 

BIO: Karen Wong is a junior at John Jay HS. This is her second year in the science research program. Last year, she researched biodiesel transesterification with algal lipids. This year, her project includes research on the use of organic solvents and microwave irradiation to increase lipid yields as a pretreatment to biodiesel transesterification. She hopes to increase lipid yields from the same amount of algae to increase the amount of biodiesel generated per algal mass compared to previous amounts. She loves to read, swim, dance, and eat food. She plans to build on pretreatments for biodiesel transesterification next year. 

BIO: Maggie Yang is a junior at John Jay Senior High School, and is currently researching within the field of psychology. She is the vice president of the Amnesty International club. She also is a member of multiple honors societies within her school, including Math Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, History Honor Society, and National Honor Society. 

BIO: Kylie Yap is a junior at John Jay High School. She is currently looking into the impact of Virtual Reality on human exercise. She's on the Wappingers girls varsity swim team and in the National Honor Society. She also does Taekwondo all year around with a 3rd degree black belt and Instructor title. 

BIO: Uriel Botchway is a 10th grade student at John Jay High School. He enjoys playing soccer and is a member of the varsity soccer team. In his free time, Uriel likes to play basketball and learn about new things. After graduating high school, Uriel plans to attend college to focus on academics and soccer.

BIO: Lilah Burger, currently a Sophomore of John Jay, is interested in planetary geoscience and is studying the surface features of Mars. This year, she met with and discussed her project with scientists from NASA's jet pulsation laboratory. She hopes to in the future work in this field of study. Besides science research she also likes to read and pet cats. 

BIO: Jacob Cheung (Class of 2026) is a sophomore at John Jay. He is a part of the school's string orchestra and is also on the John Jay Math and Science Olympiad teams. He enjoys biking and spending time with his friends and family. In the future, he plans on studying in the medical field. 

BIO: Michael Diminico is a sophomore at John Jay High School in East Fishkill, NY. His interests include playing the guitar and piano in his free time. He is interested in careers in science and technology. He is currently interested in exploring research into the development of Alzheimer's disease. 

BIO: Leah Doughty is in the 10th grade at John Jay High School.  She plays Softball and volleyball along with running the Best Buddies Program in her school and belonging to other clubs. She is also in Math Honors Society and History Honor Society.  Leah is studying neuroscience, specifically memory studies. She hopes to continue her studies and help others.  

BIO: Abhay Gupta is in the 10th grade, graduating in the year 2026. He is currently researching Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. He is 16 years old, and he loves to play with his dog, likes to play games, and likes hanging out with friends. 

BIO: Alison is currently a sophomore and is extremely excited to participate in the science research symposium. This year, her research has been focused on avian communications and is currently focused on finding a mentor. She landed on this topic of research due to her love of animals and helping them, and is focusing more on how studying avian communications can help the environment. She is also very into sports, particularly track and field and is also very interested in the science field, mainly biology.

BIO: Deniya Mark is a sophomore, making this year her first in the science research program. She is interested in hydroponics and the beneficial relationship between fish and plants for food production. Both in and outside of school, she enjoys playing soccer. She strives to play soccer in college, as well. 

BIO: Molly McGuigan is a 10th grade student in the Science Research Program at John Jay High School. She is interested in the study of false confessions, interrogation techniques, and biases. Most of her research is devoted to how both biases and interrogations techniques can result in false confessions. Molly and her research partner, Shannon Schuchat, have been working together to create future projects and experiments. 

BIO: Andrew Mollicone is in 10th grade at John Jay High School. He has interests in computer engineer and computer science. Andrew plays football at John Jay, and he also plays soccer and basketball outside of school. He enjoys math and science, which are his favorite subjects. Andrew is in the Math Honor Society, Italian Honor Society, as well as the science research club.

BIO: Chris, a dedicated sophomore student, is passionate about building and exploring the realm of mechanical engineering. Alongside his academic pursuits, Chris finds joy in the dynamic sport of soccer, where he showcases his athleticism and teamwork skills. He is fascinated by how machines work and spends his free time tinkering and researching mechanical systems. He plans to pursue a career in engineering after high school to continue exploring his passion for building and innovation.

BIO: Breanna Murphy is a 10th grader at John Jay in her first year of the science research program. She is researching nutrition and women's health, and is working diligently on developing her research project. In her free time, she enjoys making jewelry and listening to music. She also is involved in the school drama club as the student producer. She is very pleased to be apart of this program, and thankful for support from friends and family. 

BIO: Nhan Nguyen, a Sophomore at John Jay High School, is interested in the field of robotics and engineering; studying visual sensors, movement of robotics, and coding languages for his project. He plans to either improve his current project of facial recognition or start focusing on robotic movement during his junior year. In addition to science research, he is in Math team, Science Olympiad, and Robotics team.

BIO: Wynter Ross is a dedicated student of history, psychology, and philosophy, who has previously done research with The Roaring Cubs Collective (Columbia University) regarding the Neurobiological and social associations with different types of body language and the "fear" or "threat" response in order to better understand her research topic of Propaganda and the Cold War. Her current research is centered around theories of communication and persuasion, as pioneered by Edward Bernays and Harold Lasswell, and her favorite authors consist of Fyodor Dostoevsky, Albert Camus, and Harlan Ellison. She is a member of the History Honor Society, debate club and Future Business Leaders of America, and placed 5th in the world in Business Management just last year. She is also an instructor at the Town of Fishkill Police Cadet Program in the subjects of Law, History, and Mathematics. She is planning to continue her studies throughout the summer through a variety of college programs

BIO: Ava Ruggiero is a 10th grade student at the Science Research program. She is interested in the study of neurobiology and the effects of neurodegenerative diseases on a persons lifestyle, specifically Alzheimer's. Most recently she has been focusing on how insulin resistance can be a possible cause of Alzheimer's and the potential treatments that may stem from it. She is also looking into the effect of a ketogenic diet on Alzheimer disease. 

BIO: Shannon is extemely happy to be a part of this program and incredibly excitied for the next 2 years in the class. As a sophmore she knows there is still time to explore different branches of her main focus: psychology. Mainly, however, she has been focusing on interrogation tactics involved in criminal investigations. This year she started working with someone on her project, which has been extremely helpful. She has learned many skills in this class and enjoys the self paced part of it. For this, she gives her thanks to Mr. Freedman.

BIO: Anthony Villavicencio is a 10th-grade student currently enrolled in the Science Research Program. He plays cello and tutors in and out of school. Teaching and the arts are some of his biggest passions and hopes to pursue something similar in the future