Four Roslyn High School students were among the 44 in New York State selected as Intel Science Talent Search Semifinalists yesterday, the most on Long Island besides Great Neck. David Jaslow, Jordan Rosen, Rachel Mintz and Tiffany Sun will compete on March 5-11 in Washington, D.C. for first-place awards of $150,000. They each earned $1,000 for earning semifinal status.
“It was like winning the lottery,” Rosen said.
Mintz, Sun and Jaslow were caught off guard, but honored to be named.
“I didn’t expect to win, but it felt great,” they said collectively.
The four students were under Secondary Research Coordinator Dr. Allyson Weseley during their projects. She commended the four in their work and research. Jaslow, Rosen and Sun worked in-house.
“Having four semifinalists in a year that there are just 43 from all Long Island schools is a stunning achievement,” Weseley said.
Mintz worked at the The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research in Manhasset.
“Although winning is great, the experience of doing the research and contributing to the field is invaluable,” said Mintz.
The projects that the Roslyn students entered in this science research competition were a culmination of about two years of work.
“It feels great knowing that our hard work and effort as well as the research we did was appreciated,” said Jaslow.
Mintz’s project looked at ways to supplement magnesium levels in cells treated with cisplatin, a chemotherapeutic drug. Magnesium deficiency, common in the general population and exacerbated by cisplatin, promotes kidney injury.
The other three Roslyn students did their work in psychology. Jaslow explored ways to nudge people to save more and earlier for retirement. Rosen’s project focused on the way teachers and students view intelligence.
Sun explored implicit biases through the manipulation of a classic ethical dilemma known as the Trolley Problem.
“Research has opened many doors for me; the experience has been transformative,” Sun said.
The 300 total semifinalists across the United States chosen from more than 1,800 entrants in 41 states. Forty finalists will be announced on Jan. 21.
