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Bethpage Science Research Students Awarded With Mini Grants

Photo courtesy of the Bethpage Union Free School District

Four science research students from Bethpage High School were recently presented with a $300 mini grant from the New York Institute of Technology to further enhance their research projects. Grant recipients include Bethpage freshmen and research partners Aryaan Khalfan and Matthew Tusa, sophomore Devaanshi Kawatra and junior Diya Sheth.

The NYIT’s Sixth Annual Mini Research Grant Award is presented to high school students in grades 9-12 to spend on materials related to their project. Students were asked to submit a proposal of their research project which had to relate to one of the following STEM areas: biology, molecular biology, biotechnology, engineering and computer science, biomedical engineering, chemistry or health related research. In addition, students had to be pursuing their research project in the 2023 calendar year.

Khalfan and Tusa submitted their proposal for their research project, “Creating a Cost Effective Device for the Translation of American Sign Language (ASL) to English.” With their mini grant, the freshmen plan to purchase an Arduino which they plan on programming to help recognize the ASL movements. Kawatra’s research project, “The Effect of Prolonged Exposure to Different Visible Light Wavelengths on the Rate of Phagocata morgani Regeneration,” focuses on how different wavelengths of light affect planarian regeneration. She plans to use the funds from the mini grant to purchase an LED light and a flexible microscope that will directly upload the images to her computer.

Sheth submitted her research project, “Building a Water Purity Sensor that Can Test pH, Turbidity, Dissolved Oxygen & Filter Water.” The project uses LED lights to determine if certain water is drinkable or not. With the grant money, she plans on implementing a water purifying system into the sensor that she currently has so that it can purify the water if needed. The goal is to provide her user with drinkable water.

The Bethpage Union Free School District congratulates each student on this outstanding achievement.

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