High Tech Shines at Poster Session Organized by North Jersey Section of American Chemical Society

(South Orange, NJ—September 25, 2017) Five High Tech High School students, along with Dr. Dmitri Lavlinski, attended a poster session at Seton Hall University, organized by the North Jersey Section of the American Chemical Society, announced Dr. Joseph Giammarella, Principal of High Tech.

These students, members of the American Chemical Society’s Project SEED summer research program, gained valuable hands-on experience on the frontlines in top research laboratories.

High Tech senior Umar Mohammed, a resident of Bayonne, became a top winner for his research on “The Effect of Shear Stress on the Proliferation of Human Osteoblast Cells” while under the mentorship of Dr. Woo Lee at Stevens Institute of Technology.

The Project SEED program also recognized a High Tech junior, Reika Hayashi, also from Bayonne, with second place for her research on the “Examination of Pathogenic Bacteria Biofilm Attachment on Soft Contact Lenses” under the mentorship of Dr. Meriem Bendaoud at New Jersey City University.

Another High Tech senior, Anna Rezk, also from Bayonne, continued her work under the supervision of Dr. Woo Lee at Stevens Institute, producing “Identifying CD138+ Multiple Myeloma Cells Adhered to Endosteal Osteoblasts.” Rezk’s brother, John, also a senior and under the mentorship of Dr. Simon Podkolzin, performed research at Stevens as well on “Conversion of Acetic Acid into Gaseous Products.” Both Rezk siblings earned third place awards.

Senior Shelina Chotrani, a SEED scholar from Secaucus who placed first in the poster competition, secured a research mentor, Dr. Tianning Diao, by herself. She worked at New York University over the summer on “Synthesis of Alpha Diimine Ligands Towards the Goal of Ni-mediated Asymmetric Catalysis.”

The American Chemical Society’s Project SEED summer research program allows those students from economically disadvantaged neighborhoods to experience the intriguing, highly dedicated routines of a chemist. Students entering their junior or senior year in high school work alongside scientist-mentors on special research projects in industrial, academic, and federal laboratories, where the students can discover chemistry firsthand as a career path as their graduation approaches.