This past Saturday, PMHS’s science research students competed at the Westchester Science and Engineering Fair (WESEF) in Sleepy Hollow, NY, bringing home a variety of awards.

The research students spend their summers interning with professional mentors in a wide range of scientific fields. Led by director Steven Beltecas and science research teacher Joseph DiBello, they proceed to compete at competitions throughout the year.

WESEF is the qualifying competition that allows 15 projects to move on to the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF). Featuring over 650 students from 44 high schools this year, WESEF is one of the biggest science fairs in the US. Congratulations goes to the following students from Pelham:

4th best in category:

Quin Monaghan-Morris and Anna Shampanier Bowen (team), Behavioral and Social Sciences

Piers Upton, Cellular and Molecular Biology

Nahian Ehtesham, Medicine and Health

Daly Walsh, Medicine and Health

Vedika Basavatia, Neuroscience

3rd best in category:

Hailey Nelson and Julia O’Neil (team), Behavioral and Social Sciences

Bernadette Russo and Morgan McLean (team), Environmental Sciences

Lance Brady, Environmental Sciences

2nd best in category:

Jamie Burke, Behavioral and Social Sciences

Grace Liberatore, Behavioral and Social Sciences

Matyas Spunberg, Behavioral and Social Sciences

Andy Radvany and Luke Diffley (team), Environmental Sciences

Best in Category:

Isabelle Anderson, Behavioral and Social Sciences

Francesca Di Cristofano, Cellular and Molecular Biology

Several students also won separate awards related to their projects. Winning the Leason Ellis Team Project Award and an 150 dollar prize was the team of Lynn Dvorkin and Philip Dulock. The American Meteorological Society Award went to Bernadette Russo and Morgan McLean. Grace Anderson won the American Psychological Association award. NASA Earth System Science Award went to Andy Terraciano and Evan Sefchick. Lance Brady, Lukas Glist, and the team of Andy Radvany and Luke Diffley all won the Stockholm Junior Water Prize. Cath Taubner won the Momentive Inventing Possibilities Award, and Emily Nakayama won the Excellence in Medical Research Award. Olivia Min won the Innovations in Biological Sciences Research Award as well.

Special congratulations goes to junior Isabelle Anderson, who will travel to represent Pelham at the International Genius Olympiad in Oswego this June.