CASE to Honor Connecticut’s Top Student Scientists Young Scientists and Engineers Take Spotlight at Annual Awards Dinner

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 43rd Annual Meeting and Awards Dinner on Thursday, May 24th at the Red Lion Hotel Cromwell. 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 Michael S. Francis, PhD, Senior Fellow and Chief, Advanced Programs, United Technologies Research Center (retired). Additionally, twenty-four newly elected members of the Academy will also be recognized at the event.

Student winners to be honored are:

The 2018 H. Joseph Gerber Medal of Excellence

Emily Philippides, Greenwich High School, Greenwich, CT
2018 Connecticut Science & Engineering Fair – 1st Place, Life Sciences-Senior Division
Project: Controlled-Release Delivery of Ovarian Anticancer Paclitaxel via Vortex Ring, Donut-shaped Hydrogels

Maya Geradi, Wilbur Cross High School, New Haven, CT
2018 Connecticut Science & Engineering Fair – 1st Place, Physical Sciences-Senior Division
Project: Synthesis and Separation of a Chiral Compound in Preparation of a Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Radiotracer

2018 H. Joseph Gerber Award
Srikar Godilla and Cristian Rodriguez, CREC Academy of Aerospace and Engineering, East Hartford, CT
2018 Connecticut Science &Engineering Fair – Urban School Challenge High School Winner
Project: Effect of Experimental Parameters on Forming Prince Rupert’s Drops for Maximum Strength and Toughness

2018 Connecticut Science & Engineering Fair – Middle School Winner, Urban School Challenge
Khushi Parikh, Westside Middle School, Danbury, CT
Project: Image Recognition to Diagnose Lyme Disease

2018 Connecticut Junior Science and Humanities Symposium
1st Place: Hiba Hussain, Greenwich High School, Greenwich, CT
Project: Non-Invasive, Low-Cost Diagnosis of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) via Smartphone Breath Analysis

2nd Place: Shobhita Sundaram, Greenwich High School, Greenwich, CT
Project: Detection of Early-Stage Alzheimer’s Disease via Hierarchical Classification of Proteomic and Clinical Profiles

3rd Place: Maya Geradi, Wilbur Cross High School, New Haven, CT
Project: Synthesis & Separation of Chiral Compounds in the Preparation of a PET Radiotracer Targeting Synaptic Vesicle Glycoprotein 2A

4th Place: Raina Jain, Greenwich High School, Greenwich, CT
Project: Magnetically Induced, Visual Detection of Trace Arsenic Contaminants in Water Using Fe3O4 Photonic Crystal Structures

5th Place: Sophia Ladyzhets, Glastonbury High School, Glastonbury, CT

Project: Localized Tkv Degradation Mechanism Maintains Germline Stem Cell and Gonialblast Populations in Drosophila Testes

2018 Connecticut Invention Convention (Awardees listed by home town)
Bolton: Daniel Bokshan, Bolton Center School
Burlington: Brendan Glastris, Talcott Mountain Academy of Science, Mathematics and Technology
Carmel, NY: Kathleen O’Sullivan, George Fischer Middle School
Colchester: Michael Shoemaker, CREC Two Rivers Magnet Middle School
Ellington: Ryder Bidwell, Talcott Mountain Academy of Science, Mathematics and Technology
Enfield: Mary Jordan, Educational Resources for Children
Falls Village: Damien Lee, Lee H. Kellogg School
Farmington: Pranavi Rebala, Irving A. Robbins Middle School
Glastonbury: Julian Kage, Talcott Mountain Academy of Science, Mathematics and Technology
Newington: Alyse Karanian, John Wallace Middle School
Newington: Vidhisha Thakkar, John Wallace Middle School
Newtown: Naha Nawaz, Newtown Middle School
Norwich: Jack Surprenant, Fishers Island School
Ridgefield: Ben Kiefaber, East Ridge Middle School
Watertown: Claire Roberts, Swift Middle School

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The Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering was chartered by the General Assembly in 1976 to provide expert guidance on science and technology to the people and to the state of Connecticut, and to promote the application of science and technology to human welfare and economic well being. For more information about the Academy, please see www.ctcase.org.