On Thursday, March 23rd, science research teacher Mr. Pollatos and eight of his students attended the Long Island Science and Engineering Fair (LISEF). Soham Maiti and Smiti Shah have been working hard on their presentations for months and competed in the varsity section at LISEF and then made it to the second round of the competition. Sophomore Soham Maiti’s presentation placed 4th overall in the Mathematics category while Smiti Shah placed 3rd in Environmental Engineering, which is the best a student has placed in that category ever in at Bethpage High School. Smiti Shah expressed this event as “an amazing experience where [she] got to learn from countless others in an environment where everyone values research and is so passionate about what they do.”

Many of the other students that attended LISEF felt the same way! Furthermore, Soham Maiti was not expecting to go to LISEF this year as a sophomore so he explained that he “felt very enlightened being with the older kids as a sophomore which made [him] feel very proud of all of [his] work”.

Although not everyone has the privilege of competing in the LISEF competition, students were still able receive the chance to showcase their capabilities at the JV competition. Adina Rahman, a freshman at Bethpage High School described her experience at LISEF as “very exciting and something I really enjoyed”. Six other students, ranging from freshman to seniors, worked hard as well this past year. Researching for months, these students created “beginner” projects that are still extremely impressive to the judges. Candace Haney, a junior at Bethpage High School, was intrigued by the migration of white storks and wanted to research if climate change sparked their migrations. After months of hard work and research, Candace observed her data and discovered that climate actually does not affect migration which clearly impressed the judges, leading them to award her presentation with 2nd place in environmental sciences.

Overall, LISEF is a great program where aspiring researchers are able to gain confidence and further knowledge through this experience.