Four Ward Melville Students Named Regional Siemens Finalists

Ward Melville High School students Emmanuel Kim, Kevin Chen, Nevin Daniel and Anna Sato have been selected as regional finalists in the 2010 Siemens Competition in Math, Science and Technology, school officials announced this week.

They are among eight Long Island students on the roster of 92 total regional finalists. Ward Melville's four regional finalists represents the highest number of students from a single high school in New York State. Only two other high schools in the nation also boasted four regional finalists, the highest number in the nation. The students are all members of the school's InSTAR program.

"We have a terrific program that nurtures these students' efforts and we have students driven to excel, with great talent and great intellect," said interim superintendent Neil Lederer. "It's not something to be taken lightly. It's really extraordinary."

Daniel, a senior, created a new cancer drug which targets specific cancer cells, then applies a high amount of active chemotherapeutic. Daniel was also featured in Popular Science magazine earlier this year as one of the top high school inventors in the nation for his invention of a bioreactor device which is capable of turning algae into fuel.

Kim, a senior, and Sato, a junior, teamed up to create a new kind of water filtration system which uses nanostructured biomaterials to remove bacteria and viruses from water. Their filter has proven 99.99 percent effective against viruses, is biodegradable, and is inexpensive to produce.

Chen, a senior, studied fruit fly genetics and discovered that two separate fruit fly gene systems communicate and control the development of embryos. His discovery is also applicable to human genetics.

In November, these students will head to one of six regional competitions, the winners of which will head to the national finals in December. Ruoyi Jiang, last year's Siemens winner, was a Ward Melville graduate and the first Long Island student to win the top Siemens prize.

"Each year I am amazed at the high caliber of projects our student researchers complete with the help of their mentors," Ward Melville Principal Dr. Alan Baum said. "I applaud them for this outstanding recognition and am confident that their work will have a positive impact on our society and world in the future."