Amy Shteyman, a senior at North High School, is a recipient of a 2017 Rising Scientist Award, presented by the Child Mind Institute and the Advanced Science Research Center at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.
Students were nominated by their school and then selected by the institute through an open submission process that involved reviewing student research papers, presentations and articles that featured each nominee’s accomplishments in science and research, as well as their academic and extracurricular activities.
“Our selection committee was highly impressed by Amy’s achievement in science courses, commitment to addressing advanced scientific questions and leadership in the classroom and in extracurricular activities,” said Dr. Harold Koplewicz, president of the Child Mind Institute, an independent, national nonprofit dedicated to transforming the lives of children and families struggling with mental health and learning disorders.
“The Rising Scientist competition was looking for students who were motivated to research topics in neuroscience, who were self-motivated, interested and had contributed to the field,” explained Jessica Schust, North High science department head. “Amy met these criteria. She is an amazing young woman, who, since freshman year, has been passionately researching topics in neuroscience. She worked at Yale University last summer, where she discovered a novel component of a neural network involved in smiling, and returned to Yale this summer to continue to expand her research. In addition to her high-powered academics, she is a kind, generous and funny young woman who is a joy to be around. I was so pleased that she received this well-deserved honor.”
As a Rising Scientist, Shteyman will be awarded a $2,000 scholarship for educational expenses, such as college tuition, school supplies or books.
