Rocky Hill, CT — Connecticut’s most talented young scientists and engineers will be honored by the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering (CASE) at its 41st Annual Meeting and Awards Dinner on Tuesday, May 24, 2016 at the University of New Haven. Winners of this year’s Connecticut Science & Engineering Fair, Connecticut Junior Science and Humanities Symposium, and Connecticut Invention Convention will be recognized during the evening ceremonies.
The H. Joseph Gerber Medal of Excellence, established by CASE and presented in partnership with the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology, will be awarded to the top winners of the Connecticut Science & Engineering Fair. The medal was created to recognize and honor H. Joseph Gerber’s (1924-1996) technical leadership in inventing, developing and commercializing manufacturing automation systems for a wide variety of industries, making those industries more efficient and cost-effective in a worldwide competitive environment.
This year’s keynote address will be delivered by CASE Member Professor Jo Handelsman, PhD, Associate Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy, The White House.
Student winners to be honored are:
The 2016 H. Joseph Gerber Medal of Excellence:
Aakshi Agarwal, Hamden High School, Hamden, CT
2016 Connecticut Science & Engineering Fair – 1st Place, Life Sciences-Senior Division
Project: CRISPR Based Gene Editing Confers Resistance to Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
Christopher Popham, Greenwich High School, Greenwich, CT
2016 Connecticut Science & Engineering Fair – 1st Place, Physical Sciences-Senior Division
Project: Increased Charge Rate and Capacity for Olivine Lithium-Ion Batteries Using Efficient, Upcycled Nanoscale Electrodes
Maya Geradi, Wilbur Cross High School, New Haven, CT
2016 Connecticut Science & Engineering Fair – Urban School Challenge High School Winner
Project: Exploring Conditions for Struvite Precipitation and Crystal Growth
2016 Connecticut Science & Engineering Fair – Middle School Winner, Urban School Challenge
Lasya Josyula, Westside Middle School Academy, Danbury, CT
Project: Study of Various Starch-Based Biopolymers
2016 Connecticut Junior Science and Humanities Symposium
1st Place: Aakshi Agarwal, Hamden High School, Hamden, CT
Project: CRISPR Based Gene Editing Confers Resistance to Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
2nd Place: Paul Hansel, Greenwich High School, Greenwich, CT
Project: An Antibody-Functionalized Graphene Transistor Lab-On-A-Chip for Selective Detection of Malaria Pathogens
3rd Place: Sarishka Desai, Darien High School, Darien, CT
Project: Identification of Novel Small Molecules that Bind to K-Ras and PI3Kγ RBDs, Two Major Protein Components Involved in the Deregulation of the Cell Cycle in Hematological Cancers
4th Place: Katherine Handler, Amity Regional High School, Woodbridge, CT
Project: Succession Variations in Kenyan Scavenger Communities and the Importance of Wildebeest Carcasses
5th Place: Jennifer Schwartz, Ridgefield High School, Ridgefield, CT
Project: The Induction of Apoptosis in Leukemia and Lymphoma Cell Lines by Small Molecule Inhibitors through Inhibition of Antiapoptotic Proteins
2016 Connecticut Invention Convention
Avon — Talcott Mountain Academy of Science, Mathematics and Technology: Dashiell Corning
East Granby — East Granby Middle School: Jade Kiang
East Haddam — Nathan Hale-Ray Middle School: Jessica Stricker
East Hartford — CREC Two Rivers Magnet Middle School: Paige Gray and Alexander Jonsson
East Windsor — East Windsor Middle School: Cameron Turley
Farmington — Irving A. Robbins Middle School: Hannah Zink
Lakeville — Indian Mountain School: Damian Ding
Rye (NY) — Rye Country Day School: Abhinav Kumar
Shelton — Shelton Intermediate School: Ian Pleasant and Kyle Young
Torrington — Torrington Middle School: Megan Bishins
New Haven — Engineering and Science University Magnet Middle and High School: Charlotte Chen
Wallingford — Dag Hammarskjold Middle School: Audrey Larson
Willington — Hall Memorial Middle School: Nathaniel Wrona-Lytwyn
Twenty-three newly elected members of the Academy will also be recognized during the evening.
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