February 2017 - Volume 80 Issue 1

February 2017

Volume 79 Issue 2

The Bronx High School of Science

www.thesciencesurvey.com

Students Aim to Curb Sexism in Debate

Regeneron Names Seven Science Scholars: Greco Named Finalist

By ELIANA CHIOVETTA

Greco’s research found that for jobs typically affiliated with women, such as Under the new Science Talent Search teachers or nurses, people more often sponsor Regeneron, seven Bronx Sciremembered statements that did not ence students were named Scholars appear in the bibliography as doing so. (formerly known as semifinalists) of the As a finalist, Greco will travel to Wash2017 competition, around 9 a.m. on Janington, D.C. from March 9th to 15th, uary 4, 2017.

2017 to compete The seven Scholfor a top ten spot. ars this year were Along with the Nikhil Devraj ’17 social sciences, (math), Ryan Foo the Scholars also ’17 (social science), produced impresAidan Gibbons ’17 sive projects in the (math), Isabella Grehard sciences and co ’17 (social science), math.

Neeraj Sakhrani ’17 Many of our (math), George StefaScience Research nakis ’17 (math), and students spend Tyrone Zhang ’17 years working in (math). Greco was their mentor’s lab. then named a finalist They often work on Janury 24th, 2017. through matheGreco is now commatical problems, peting for a coveted applying formucollege scholarship Regeneron Scholars and Finalist (from left to right) George Stefanakis ’17, las and analyzing of up to $250,000.

Isabella Greco ’17 (finalist), Neeraj Sakhrani ’17, Aidan Gibbons ’17, word problems. Many The Scholars have Nikhil Devraj ’17, Ryan Foo ’17, and Tyrone Zhang ’17. others spend hours received $2,000 in peering through mischolarship money.

The competition, often simply re- croscopes or working tirelessly to anaThere were a total of 300 Scholars ferred to as “Regeneron,” gives stu- lyze their Western Blots. Some students announced by the Regeneron Science dents around the world myriad spent hours conducting tests in statisTalent Search, the same number of opportunities to work alongside ac- tical analysis programs such as SPSS. semifinalists announced when the com- complished scientific professors, doc- Although each research student follows petition was sponsored by Intel. tors, and researchers. By working a different path, they all share the same Having worked since sophomore year, collaboratively with these mentors, goal: to improve the quality of life. ninety-eight current seniors at Bronx students develop their research project.

Science submitted to the competition.

Isabella Greco worked in social science, Continued on Page 4 The Science Talent Search, which was studying how gender stereotypes can previously sponsored by technology cor- subtly affect people’s memories of what poration Intel, is now sponsored by the they have read.

Alexander Thorp / The Science Survey

pharmaceutical company Regeneron. It is fitting to have this new sponsor, since Bronx Science is the alma mater of its CEO, George Yancopoulos ’76. He was a finalist during his senior year in 1976, and now is a sponsor for the competition.

By ISMAIL MUSTAFA The Bronx Science Moot Court team has won the championship in the NYC Justice Resource Center MENTOR Moot Court competition, for the second time in school history, and for the first time since 2010.

The competition included forty-five high schools from across the city, where teams competed at Fordham Law School for the first three rounds, and then at The Thurgood Marshall Courthouse, a federal courthouse in the 2nd Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals, for the semifinals and finals.

The team defeated the High School of American Studies at Lehman College and Brooklyn Technical High School in the semifinals, and then took on Forest Hills High School in the final round.

Every year, teams across New York City receive a made-up case revolving around two issues. This year, the teams argued about a Fourth Amendment issue, where a police officer searched a high school student’s cellphone without a warrant, and an issue that was similar to the real life legal battle between Apple and the FBI, following the San Bernardino shooting.

The team, led by Mr. Symons of the Social Studies department, consists of eleven members, including four starting oralists: Ryan Foo ’17, Catherine Tum ’17, Faraz Zaidi ’17, and Danna Burshtine ’19. Each

By MATILDA MELKONIAN Bronx Science’s Speech & Debate Team has always been known for being consistently strong, but it is essential that everyone on the team is acknowledged equally for their contributions, starting with the girls of debate.

Created in October of 2016 by Zoe Posner ’17 (Lincoln-Douglas debate) and Maya Osman-Krinsky ’17 (Public Forum debate), Women in Debate is a group that meets two to three times a month to discuss different women’s issues and how they are relevant to debate. The group also discusses current challenges that people have experienced at recent tournaments and brainstorms ideas to help solve them.

Osman-Krinsky and Posner noticed the underlying difference between girls and boys in debate. “There were some really amazing and outspoken girls, which isn’t necessarily common for the debate community, because it tends to be an extremely male-dominated activity,” said Osman-Krinsky.

“In rounds, a male team can be as aggressive and assertive as they want, and that gets props. But if a girl does that, she’s looked upon as being too aggressive,” said Posner.

One reason that the two girls initiated Women in Debate was because they found bias towards male debaters even within the Bronx Science team. “The difference between male and female debaters is that coaches, a lot of the time, give more support to male debaters, and I noticed this was even true in our own team.

For most of the different types of debate, male debaters were always the best teams because they were always prioritized,” Posner said.

Moot Court Wins Gold

Alexander Thorp / The Science Survey

The Moot Court team, pictured with their awards. oralist gave a ten minute argument in front of a panel of judges, a simulation of the Supreme Court.

“It was an unforgettable experience to be in a beautiful courthouse in front of actual district court judges. Although it was a lot of preparation and the stakes were definitely high, I had a lot of fun being up there,” said Zaidi, who has been on the team for three years.

“I start every year believing that the team can win it all. The difficulty with Moot

Court is that the results are determined subjectively, which means that the winner is determined by a panel of judges,” said Mr. Symons, coach of over ten years.

The team practiced once a week with a group of lawyers at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, a corporate law firm in Manhattan, with whom the team has had a strong partnership for the past decade.

The lawyers directly coached the students, which was a unique experience for all members of the Moot Court team.

EDITORIAL

NEWS

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

Fake News Plagues Social Media

By TASNIM KABIR Fake news has plagued Facebook users’ feeds for far too long.

Scaffolding Engulfs Bronx Science Once Again

By MADIHA ALAM An update on recent contruction at Bronx Science.

Rogue One Breaks Stereotypes; Leaves Fans Wanting More

By BRIANNA LE Students react to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, the latest film in the popular franchise.

PAGE 3

PAGE 5

PAGE 8

Continued on Page 5

“It’s amazing that we, as high school students, were able to work with professional lawyers on a weekly basis,” said Zaidi.

“Being on the Moot Court team has been an amazing experience, as I learned so much about how to frame a legal argument, by using Supreme Court cases and other forms of evidence, while also improving my public speaking and communication skills,” said team captain Ryan Foo ’17. Several members pointed to the fact that the team became close with each other, both inside and outside of the courtroom, which contributed to their success.

“As we got closer to the finals, we spent extra hours at the law office and even worked on the weekends. I think the reason why we succeeded was because throughout the entire process, we believed in each other, and we were just grateful to be able to compete,” said Catherine Tum ’17, a first year team member..

“My favorite part about this season was the fact that the team really bonded, and we truly felt like a family. I think that’s one of the main reasons why we were able to win the finals this year,” Foo added.

In the past few years, the team has gone to the quarterfinals and semifinals numerous times but fell short in advancing.

However, this year they made a furious Continued on Page 5 ‘Like’ The Science Survey on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/ thesciencesurvey

And visit us online at thesciencesurvey.com

2

Editorial

Editors- in- Chief Eric Baker Allegra Berman Kaya Scheman Samuel Shapiro Stella Stephanopoulos Georgia Vasilopoulos Managing Editors Olivia Fair Sinaia Keith Lang Claudia Kitchen Jeanette Lee Jamie Powers Ronin Rodkey

Arts and Entertainment Editors Anna Clevenger Afsana Hussain Sophia Xian Chief Graphic Designers Sarah Brice Ava Cutler Juliette Klitz

2016-17 Editorial Board

Online Editors Emily Bedolis Raisa Chowdhury Elisa Schmidt

Front Page Editors Rahnuma Beheshti Fatema Lovely Anton Weintraub Editorial Editors Zara Kabir Skylar Kleinman David Shin Features Editors Raidah Chowdhury Jason Qu Nistha Bade Shrestha News Editors Madiha Alam Bridget Kulcsar Gloria Ngan

Marching Toward Equality

By SOPHIE MALKI

Sports Editors Rajiv Beepat Ryan Foo Jeffrey Ko

Spotlight Editors Tasmia Kabir Mamadi Jallow Anastasia Koutavas Business Managers Alexandria Ang Alexa Asch Brianna Le Ronin Rodkey Maximilien Steiker Faculty Advisor Alexander Thorp

Corrections Policy The Science Survey welcomes all non-anonymous corrections to any published material.

Submissions must arrive within two weeks of release date for printed articles, and within one week for online articles. Corrections should be e-mailed to the Managing Editors.

Sophie Malki / The Science Survey

Protestors rally together during the Women's March on Washington.

Same-sex marriage has been legalized since 2015, but the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender, (LGBT) community still faces severe discrimination and harassment. In thirty states, it is still legal to fire someone on the basis of their sexuality or gender identity.

In the past year, the LGBT community has seen increased representation in entertainment media. Just look at Orange is the New Black, Supergirl, Sense8, The Real O’Neals, or How to Get Away with Murder, which all feature LGBT characters.

However, not all of this representation is positive. Far too often are LGBT characters introduced as harmful stereotypes or worse.

“It's been a while since I've started to accept my sexuality, all through the help of reaching out for that representation that I craved - books, movies, shows, group chats, and support groups both in school and out,” Kimberly Cabrera '17 said. “It's through all of this that I realized I'm not alone, that I'm not an abnormality.”

Far too often, the only queer character in a piece of media is a flamboyant gay man who only exists to gossip with a female lead or comment on someone’s fashion choices.

Bisexual characters never get their sexuality acknowledged, cheat on their partners, and are often untrustworthy. Lesbian characters get shot and killed. A lot.

So part of the issues that LGBT teens face is that their only representation in the media, if at all, is of flamboyantly sexual gay men,” said Adam Yoo '17. “While people do exist like that in real life and their identity is valid, playing into stereotypes means that both the LGBT community and the

rest of the world think that every single LGBT person is just that one identity.”

While Orange is the New Black has an unprecedented number of LGBT characters, it is still faulted with some of the worst bisexual representation of any show. Piper Chapman, the main character, is clearly bisexual, yet she is never referred to as such. In the first season, Chapman broke off her engagement with her fiancé so she could pursue her ex-girlfriend once they were in prison together. She then pursued relations with numerous other characters and was generally portrayed as deceitful and selfish.

“She perpetuates the ‘can't be faithful’ stereotype about bisexual people, which upsets me as someone who is bisexual,” explained Sofia Burton '18.

The 100 was hailed for its portrayal of a positive relationship between two female main characters. One of them, Lexa, was the commander of several large factions in the post-apocalyptic universe. She was expected to die at some point, given the trajectory of the season, but most fans thought she’d fall in battle. However, Lexa was killed off after being accidentally shot, in a way that other characters survived in a previous season.

It is understandable that for most straight people, sexuality is often overlooked. It is taken for granted as simply a result of who you are. But when you're a member of the LGBT community, you are bullied for it, you are harassed for it, you have to hide it, you grow up afraid of who you are. You have to fight for it.

That is why representation matters.

On January 21st, 2017, over four million Americans mobilized for the Women’s March, making it the largest protest in modern United States history.

Crowd scientists estimated that the Women’s March on Washington had three times more people than President Donald Trump’s inauguration held a day earlier. The 2016 election cycle was one of the most divisive in American history.

Many people living in the U.S. felt marginalized by Trump’s alienating rhetoric throughout his campaign, including his proposals to deport millions of undocumented immigrants, to ban Muslims from entering the U.S., along with his numerous misogynistic comments.

Many Americans struggled to find a way to express their opinions constructively and powerfully in a non-violent manner.

In response, a group of female national organizers, civil rights and political advocates, and CEOs organized a grassroots movement, the 'Women’s March on Washington,' to be held the day after Trump’s inauguration.

The group of women who organized the march made it clear that their goal was not to protest Trump’s inauguration, but rather to protest the hateful and sexist rhetoric that he has promoted. Their aim was to unite advocates for women’s rights from all backgrounds to show the American government and the world that “women’s rights are human rights,” as Trump’s opponent, Hillary Clinton, famously said.

"I decided to attend the Women's March because I felt helpless and completely infuriated after Trump was elected,” said Maya Osman-Krinsky '17.

Osman-Krinsky joined more than 500,000 fellow protesters on the National Mall in Washington D.C. Sister marches were also held in cities and towns across America and around the world.

Although the march was labeled a 'Wom-

Popular Vote: A Popular Opinion

We need to do more than modernize the Electoral College, which was created at a time when America was largely disorganized and when slave states sought to preserve outsized electoral influence without granting suffrage to African-Americans; we need to abolish it.

It is a system that allocates the value of your vote based on the state in which you live, crams general election campaigns into a handful of states, and allows a candidate to win without winning a popular mandate.

In this, we need to move forward as the most advanced democracy in the world, and hold ourselves, our country, and our history, to our values.

We need to ensure that the President is elected through a popular vote, a top two runoff system that will guarantee our commander-in-chief for all Americans was chosen by most Americans.

Tyrone Zhang '17, a supporter of Hillary Clinton, said, “It makes sense to have a

president who is supported by the majority of voters. Anyone who claims that the electoral college makes America 'exceptional' ignores the fact that it flies in the face of democracy.”

This arcane system weakens the voting power of individuals based on where they live, and is a clear violation of the notion of “equal protection under the law” that has been used to strike down districting plans in the past that did not guarantee areas equal representation by population.

Due to the winner-take-all nature of the Electoral College in most states, where a one vote lead matters the same as a million vote lead, swing states define national campaigns. This winner-take-all system also leads to the dangerous possibility that in our country, according to National Public Radio, a candidate could hypothetically win the Electoral College while securing just 23% of the popular vote.

Beyond hypotheticals however, is the

LGBTQ Representation Matters in the Media

By GLORIA NGAN

By JASON QU On November 9th 2016, a United States prsidential candidate won the majority of the electoral votes without securing the majority of the popular vote.

Our pillars of democracy, the institutions that ensure that the voices of citizens are heard and represented, have gone against the will of the people, for the second time in two decades. Donald Trump’s victory wasn’t paved in the majority-support of the American people; it was delivered through 68,000 votes in three states and an antiquated system known as the Electoral College.

en’s March,' the organizers encouraged an intersectional mission and vision inclusive of people of all genders. Allies of women’s rights and gender equality were also highly encouraged to attend the march.

“I originally wasn’t going to go to Women’s March, because I thought that it made sense for the Women’s March to be a female dominated space,” Adam Yoo '17 acknowledged. “However, I went because I think it’s important for allies to back up women and to show their support.” Yoo participated in the New York City sister march along with more than 400,000 protesters.

Margalit Katz '17, Co-President of the Bronx Science chapter of the National Organization of Women, also attended the Women’s March on Washington. “This march was a statement that as women, we will not stand for the infringement of our rights, despite a Trump presidency,” she said. “The march was not only constructive but also cathartic for women who feel that they have lost their voice in our society and do not have a means to express their concerns.”

Maya Shah '17 felt a sense of solidarity while marching in Washington D.C.“It was kind of beautiful knowing that everywhere all around me and all around the entire world, there were people who felt the same way as me, walking for the same goal,” she noted.

On the other hand, there was a noticeable lack of diversity at the Women’s March on Washington. “I was saddened to see that women of color were not as well represented as they could have been.

This should not have been a white women's march, considering the majority of white women did vote for Trump. We should be working harder as a society to lift women of color up by showing up for them and always listening to their voices," noted Kaya Scheman '17, who attended the March on Washington.

Zoe Posner '17, a founder of the Women in Debate program, asserted that “protesting alone is not enough to change this rhetoric - protests are only effective when combined with other concrete actions.

However, the protest is less about which actions are sufficient, and more about building solidarity within the women’s liberation movement and broadening visibility of gender inequality.”

Since the Women’s March was held, protests have erupted throughout the United States. On January 29th, 2017, thousands of New Yorkers protested President Trump’s temporary travel ban on seven Muslim majority countries from entering the United States. Protesters continue to stand staunchly in the nation's capital, and in cities across the country, fighting for equality on all fronts. much more immediate impact of the Electoral College on the lack of inclusion of the entire country in campaigns.

States big and small, such as Texas and North Dakota, are simply ignored because they had clear leanings. Historically, swing states have seen the highest voter turnout because of 'Get Out The Vote' efforts by campaigns as well as the knowledge that their votes could tilt elections.

But for safe red or blue states, why should a Republican bother voting in D.C if they know their state's three electoral votes will assuredly go to the Democrats? On the flip side, why should a Democrat bothering turning out to vote in Utah, a state that hasn’t gone blue since President Johnson’s campaign?

By repealing the Electoral College, and making every vote count, and count equally, we’ll be opening up the entire country to national campaigns and creating a more vibrant democracy.

Editorial “Huh?”

Another ‘Fair’ Increase?

In 2007, the MTA charged $2.00 for their fare increases into tangible results the fare to $7.00. Since the student meta subway or bus ride. Fast-forward ten for their riders in terms of timeliness. rocard doesn’t cover it, the extra 50 years, and the current fare is $2.75. That The MTA should stick to Plan A and cents makes a difference. Every ten days, price may soon be subject to change, maintain the $2.75 fare. Although I would lose a Halal,” said Ivan Ip ’17. however, as the MTA has proposed two Plan B offers an increased bonus, the Those who advocate for Plan B may fare-hike proposals, one of which is set additional $0.25 per ride adds up to argue that the increased bonus will to take effect on March 19th, 2017. a substantial amount. An extra fifmake up for the additional $0.25.

Under Plan A, the $2.75 fare stays But are commuters really thinkthe same but the 11% bonus riders ing about the bonus when they receive from a $5.50 purchase depurchase a ride? Most likely not. creases to 5%. Under Plan B, the It’s the $2.75 that peofare increases to $3.00 but riders ple look at and pay straightreceive a 15% bonus with a $6.00 up for. The bonus is a given. purchase. The MTA has yet to “The bonuses are bonuses to reach a decision on which proposal start, the money comes out of our will take effect, but plans to make pocket first,” said Ryan Xu, ’16. its final decision sometime in JanOver the years, increased uary after reviewing public input. fares have have also had little to The MTA claims that no effect on the quality of serthis is the lowest fare invice. Delays and crowded trains crease since 2009.

are still an everyday occurrence.

Brandy Chen / The Science Survey According to MTA Chairman “There have been lots of One of the most popular train lines for Bronx Science and CEO Thomas F. Prenderfare increases, but little change students, the Number 7 train, will experience gast, “this modest increase is in the MTA system. One time, another hike in subway fare. needed to ensure that subway, I left home at my usual time, rail, bus and paratransit services con- ty cents a day for five days a week, 52 and both the R and 4 trains were detinue operate safely and reliably and weeks of the year, amounts to $130. layed. I ended up being twenty minutes to fuel the region’s economic and For a Bronx Science student, this is late,” said alumnus Edison Situ ’15. financial growth.”

65 orders of fries from Ned’s or about If the MTA expects us to pay more, Yet it is difficult to find any positive ef- 43 breakfast sandwiches from Jay’s. public transportation users should fect of fare increases when they create a Plan B not only affects sub- expect to see improvements. That is, financial burden for commuters who see way fares but also bridge and tun- more consistent service, fewer defew, if any, improvements. The past fare nel tolls and express bus fares. lays, and less congestion. Otherwise, hikes have come with very few improve“In order for me to get to school, I these fare increases are unjustified ments in quality or cleanliness of the need to take the express bus which costs and more likely to discourage passubways, and the MTA has failed to turn $6.50 for one ride. Plan B would increase sengers from riding with the MTA.

Fake News Plagues Social Media

By TASNIM KABIR Don’t believe everything you read on the internet.

In an era where the truth is harder to find than falsehoods, the media grows more untrustworthy with each passing day. But this time, media outlets seem to have been beat in the category of public mistrust. Spurred on and intensified by an unusual, divisive election cycle, the world faces a new plague: The Fake News Story.

No matter whom one supported during the 2016 U.S. election, one cannot deny that it lacked clarity and candor. Both candidates spewed lies throughout their campaigns.

Donald Trump continually repeated baseless claims as if they were fact, while Hillary Clinton struggled to make herself authentic and not just another Washington insider. Yet, after a year on the campaign trail, both will undoubtedly go down as two of the most disliked and distrusted Presidential candidates in U.S. history.

Along the way, sourceless, and, simply put, factually incorrect news became the norm. From conspiracy theories, such as ‘Pizzagate’ that included an actual pizzeria in the D.C. area, to false statements being paraded around as truth, such as the economic standing

of the United States, there was no short supply of fake news.

Naima Nadia ’19 found it “ridiculous how news articles were using fake stories about the election as bait for more money and popularity,” but said that she hadn’t thought it would have had such an impact “upon people who were already rooting for a candidate.”

It’s true: many believed it. As false news stories flooded the internet, including social media sites such Twitter and Facebook, many Americans fell for the trap, bait and hook. Social media has increasingly become the number one news source for Americans from coast to coast, and for some reason, it seems that many failed to double check their sources.

Terence Wu ’18 feels, “telling fake news from real news isn’t too hard…

You [have to] look at the right sources

“Telling fake news from real news isn’t too hard . . . You [have to] look at the right sources . . . You have to find the credible sources. ”

such as The New York Times. I don’t think they’d ever publish an outlandish news article. You just have to find the credible sources.”

Questions have undoubtedly arisen as to what can be done to curb the spread of the deliberate dissemination of false information. Debates currently rage as to whether or not such publications are protected under the Constitution. Others ask what is to be done with those who propagate fake news?

It definitely not an easy question. As Geevanesam (Gee) Devakanmalai ’17 said, “there is always a disconnect between what is said and what was meant to be said, but purposefully broadcasting false information is wrong.”

The line between whether or not to enact the First Amendment and allow for the continuation of fake news has become extremely blurred. The most important factor to consider is whether or not what is written has malicious intent. It would also need to be determined if intentional misinformation of the public can be considered an offensive action.

In our age of rapid dissemination and proliferation of information across the internet, remember this: not everything you read online is true.

An Advice Column

By RYAN FOO and SOPHIA XIAN Melina Asteriadis / The Science Survey

By BRANDY CHEN

3

We would like to wish everyone at Bronx Science a Happy New Year! Of course, with a new year comes new resolutions. Here are some suggestions to help you stay on track for the beginning months of 2017.

For seniors, this is the time that college decisions start rolling in. If you got into your dream college, fantastic! You should be so excited that four years of sleep deprivation, stress, and hard work finally paid off! If not, don’t dwell too much over your deferrals or rejections.

It is completely fine to grieve for a while, but know that there are plenty of colleges that offer a multitude of different resources yet to be explored!

Allowing yourself a little sadness while your friends and family console you is completely healthy and all right. If you are admitted, realize that a college specifically chose YOU to be a part of their incoming freshman class--take advantage of that and go visit those schools. If not, final acceptances will be coming in March.

“It’s completely fine to grieve for a while, but know that there are plenty of colleges that offer a multitude of different resources yet to be explored.”

For freshmen, congratulations, you just conquered your first midterm week at Bronx Science! If for some reason during the second semester you are looking back and have lost some of your first semester notes (like most of us), we are here to help.

We recomend joining the “Bronx Science Study Guides” Facebook group, or finding out if any of your classes have specific Facebook groups.

In any academic Facebook groups, we suggest looking through uploaded files, as there are probably past study guides from recent years that you can use to help you study for your upcoming exams. If making study guides helps you to study, help your fellow students out by sharing them with the group!

For all non-seniors, this is also the time that you will be selecting your new classes for the Fall 2017 school term. Not sure if you want Calc AB or Calc BC, AP Stat or AP Psych? Post a question in the Bronx Science 2016-2017 Facebook page, ask your Big Sibs, or even e-mail one of us! The best way to get the gist of a class is to talk to other students who have taken it before.

You want to take AP classes in subjects you truly enjoy and for which won’t mind the challenge; don’t just stack up on AP’s for the credits, as you’ll regret it once May comes around.

That does not mean you should clear out your schedule so that you can have three different lunch periods. Find areas of studies that you’re passionate about, and don’t be afraid to explore the vast opportunities offered during the school year.

No matter what grade you’re in, be sure to set short-term and long-term goals for the brand new term.

Talk to you next time!

Sophia &

Ryan

xians@bxscience.edu & foor@bxscience.edu

4

News Ludy Ansty / The Science Survey

The construction of the Dakota AcArmy Corps of Engineers decided to halt cess Pipeline over Sioux tribal lands has the construction of the pipeline. After been a hotly contested issue for the past the executive order to resume construcyear. The original tion on both the route of the pipeKeystone and line, owned by the the Dakota AcEnergy Transfer cess Pipelines Company, had it were signed, passing through protesters and Bismarck, North water protecDakota, but after tors have been that was deemed gathering at the unsafe due to site, launchpossible leaks, ing demonstait was rerouted tions in maMasha Miura ’17 is wary of President jor cities, and through Sioux tribal Trump’s actions regarding the DAPL. land. Through the protesting oncombined efforts line ever since. of environmentalists, Native American “They [the Energy Transfer Compaleaders, celebrity protesters, and the ny] have no right to try to displace the outrage from the media and the pubSioux, yet again. It was a great victory lic, the construction of the Dakota Acthat the pipeline was stopped, but its cess Pipeline across the Missouri river construction was by no means neceshad been stopped. But as of January 24, sary. It was a greedy idea and a maneu2017, the new Trump administration has ver that is not needed. Business can be restarted construction of the pipeline. done without it,” said Liam Meissner “People have been neglecting minori’17. Many Sioux representatives beties such as the Native Americans for lieved that the Energy Transfer compatoo long, and now it has come to a point ny and the state itself has been ignoring where their reservations are going to be their treaties and rejecting injunctions. destroyed and their clean water will be Even before the pipeline was revived, contaminated,” said Mayuranki De ’17. the environmental impact the intial conOver the many months leading up to struction has caused was staggereing. the decision, there were increasingly On December 12, 2016, the pipeline violent clashes between the protesters leaked crude oil into a creek just a few and police. Water cannons, tear gas, and miles from the Standing Rock epicendogs have been used to keep protesters ter, Cannon Ball. While pipelines are back from the construction site. Videos still considered to be the most safe and of these event quickly went viral, and efficient way to transport oil and gas, all the police and Energy Transfer Comoil transportation carries a risk. Since pany received national condemnation. mid 2016, there have been over 220 oil In early December 2016, over 2,000 vetpipeline leaks. These leaks contaminate erans agreed to go to the Standing Rock streams and groundwater, causing sigIndian Reservation to protect the protestnificant damage to the environment. ers. The head of the movement, Michael A. Mr. Trump’s decision does not Wood Jr., said that this was a fulfillment come as a surprise to many. During of the oaths to serve and protect against his campign, he promised to creforeign and domestic enemies that all of ate jobs and to limit regulation that these veterans made while in service. The he believed would slow the economy. veterans brought even more media at“I’m disappointed that the new admintention to the protests at Standing Rock. istration decided to restart the pipeline, deAfter over a year of intense protests spite the controversy. I hope the protests by the water protectors, many of whom continue and some solution can be found,” had been living at the site of construcsaid Masha Miura ‘17. tion, the Obama administration and the Regeneron Names Seven Science Scholars: Greco Named Finalist (continued from A1) For instance, Devraj’s project created an algorithm to help computers to better diagnose diseases. Sakhrani, also in the math research program, used a different program, Electron Spin Resonance (ESR), to date tooth samples from Tanzania. Foo studied the interactions between mothers and children and whether the different interactions affected the child’s transition from crawling to walking. Devraj relied on computers, algorithms, and generators, as did Sakhrani and Greco, to build their data set. Foo, on the other hand, developed his own code to analyze his data set.

Stefanakis also relied on his computer for the majority of his data set, creating a prototype for a hybrid computer. While Stefanakis and Devraj did most of their work from the computer, others worked in labs to compile their research.

Foo spent the majority of his junior year meeting with his mentor at the NYU Infant Action Lab, once a week after school and during the summer. He used videos that his mentor had already collected, but devised his own coding scheme to analyze the videos.

Sakhrani measured the age of artifacts using the facilities of Francis Lewis High School in Queens and the Thomp-

son Chemistry Labs at Williams College in Massachusetts.

This competition and mentorship has helped prepare our hardworking students for the future, as the majority of the Scholars plan to enter the research field.

“This was a challenge, but it was a fun one to take on. I will certainly pursue research opportunities in college, and I am seriously considering it as my future career,” Greco said.

Devraj agreed with Greco, saying, “I plan to pursue research in college, and I am strongly considering academia as a career choice.”

This research experience has helped these Scholars to decide what to study when they enter college. “One of the reasons why I am interested in pursuing engineering is to learn the skills that I need, so that I can construct a large-scale, physical version of the model that I proposed in my research,” George Stefanakis, ’17 said.

This competition has helped to prepare some truly hardworking students.

“I shot my hands into the air and yelled ‘Yes!’ in the middle of my App Development class, when I received the notification​.”

By ELLA CAINE Project FIRE, a new initiative at group of authors including women, were Bronx Science to target gender equali- purchased thanks to funding from alumni. ty issues within the school, held its first “This year, our school is diversifymeeting on Monday, December 12th, ing curricula by adopting parts of the 2016. Ms. Caldarola, a foreign language Facing History program, which adds teacher, created the action group along critical minority perspectives to our huwith Ms. MacEnulty, a social stud- manities curriculum,” said Susannah ies teacher, after witnessing the ram- Lara-Gresty ’17, Chief of Staff on Cabinet. pant sexism in the 2016 election season.

Students expressed concern with acThe name Project FIRE stands for ‘Fem- tions and comments by their peers as well. inism: IncluKatz said she sion, Rights, has noticed Equality.’ At the unwarrantmeeting, stued disrespect dents discussed from her classspecific issues mates toward pertinent to her teachers. the school and “For exambrainstormed ple, one of my plans to combat teachers has them. the title ‘DocScience is a tor’ and when male-dominatstudents call ed field and the her ‘Miss,’ she Margalit Katz has been outspoken about Science Departcorrects them. feminism at Bronx Science. ment, with a majoriOften when she ty male faculty, is no does this, my peers exception to that. Female representation state that she is “arrogant” because she in STEM is important, particularly in a wishes to be called by her proper title.”

STEM school like Bronx Science, in order During Physical Education classes in to encourage more young women to go the beginning of the year, students disinto the field. The group discussed hosting cussed how to make smart decisions refemale guest speakers, in STEM and be- garding sexual activity, including how yond, as a means of empowering students. to say no when feeling pressured to Issues exist in the humanities depart- have sex. Many students said they felt ments as well. “One issue that has been it necessary to include lessons on sexhistorically prevalent at Bronx Science ual consent. This topic is a more comwas a lack of female authors and authors mon concern among seniors applying of color in our English curriculum, which to college, where sexual assault is a very demonstrated a lack of representation,” prevalent issue. However, students of all said Margalit Katz ’17. grades voiced their opinions on the issue.

Many students who have voiced con“Many people’s rights are threatened cern with this problem were happy to hear and gender-based discrimination is very that Ms. Mann, the Assistant Principal of much still alive today. Combatting it withthe English Department, is aware of the in our school community allows us as a issue, and that changes have already been school to spread respect and tolerance implemented. According to Ms. Mann, the once we leave Bronx Science, in order to English curriculum was redesigned last impact the country and world at large,” year and new books, written by a diverse said Katz.

Alexander Thorp / The Science Survey

By LUDY ANSTY

Project FIRE Sparks Discussion

The Regeneron Science Research process has given them a foundation for work that they can continue in college at well-known schools. Foo is planning to attend University of Pennsylvania next fall, where he can engage in research.

When hearing of the news, our Scholars reacted differently to their nominations, but were generally all excited.

“I shot my hands into the air and

“ I was in disbelief of the result. The News came unexpectedly . . . I didn’t believe them, until I saw a physical copy of the list online.” along with essays and other supporting materials. The students rely on their teachers for help with completing the multi-part process of a Regeneron submission.

“The Regeneron Application has many components, requiring reviews which necessitates lots of e-mails, writing, and foresight. I help students to meet the deadlines for the paper, and I acted as an editor of the actual paper itself,” said Mr. Joshua Fialkow, a social science research teacher.

“Successful candidates often don’t have the most earthshaking results, but they put great effort into clearly explaining the science and the data. They need to create an understandable and exciting story, one that shows that they understand the science involved,” said Dr. Julie Mankiewicz, biology teacher.

Bronx Science’s seven Scholars’ projects ranged from creating codes and computer algorithms to studying the effects of a mother’s care on childhood development. They ranged in topic, field, and application. With 2017 Scholars in both mathematics and social science, our Regeneron Semifinalists reveal Bronx Science’s success in multiple academic departments and scientific disciplines, with a strong dedication to the mathematical roots of all scientific courses of study.

Alexander Thorp / The Science Survey

Construction of the Dakota Pipeline Resumed

Isabella Greco is our 2017 Regeneron Science Talent Search Finalist. yelled ‘Yes!’ during the middle of my App Development class, when I received the notification​. Everyone around me was utterly confused at my random burst of enthusiasm,” Devraj said.

“I was in disbelief when I heard of the result. In fact, the news came unexpectedly. I was anticipating that Regeneron would post the announcement at noon.

However, as I walked into my third period Multivariable class, my friends told me the result. I didn’t believe them, until I saw a physical copy of the list online. I was ecstatic,” Neeraj Sakharani, ’17 said.

Putting together a project takes more than just a data table, as a Regeneron application includes a twenty page research report documenting their independent scientific research,

5

News

By SKYLAR KLEINMAN

Michael Urbina / The Science Survey

The SAT, AP exams, and SAT Subject Tests are some of the most important examinations in high school.

These tests can make or break one’s options for college and career paths.

Now, the College Board is going to give some students the help that they greatly need.

Many students across the nation, and some in our school, receive testing accommodations for difficulties such as ADHD or English as a second language. Accommodations can include extended time, braille tests, and separate testing rooms. Starting January 1st, 2017, the College Board greatly expanded the number of students who receive SAT accommodations. Most students who already

Alpha Barrie ’20 takes a test during his A.P. World History class. have these benefits at their school will receive them automatically for every College Board test they take.

Previously, it was exceedingly difficult to get accommodations approved. This is mainly due to how costly and time-intensive the process is, as well as how much paperwork needed to be done. This led to many complaints from students, parents, and teachers about the difficulty of the application process. In response, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division looked into the matter of this extra help being withheld too frequently.

As a result, the College Board has now made the actions needed to acquire accommodations much easier. “Educators, students, and families have asked us to simplify our process, and we’ve listened. The

gun to take initiatives as well.

Next year, at the New York City Invitational, the debate tournament run by ourschool, an equal ratio of female to male judges will be hired to help eliminate gender bias.

Posner summed up her experience. “Creating a space that validates concerns that female debaters have had is super valuable.

Instead of saying, ‘Maybe it’s just because you’re not a good debater,’ hearing con-

The girls were also frustrated with the treatment of debaters within debate rounds. “In rounds, guys tend to be way more assertive and aggressive, and it’s encouraged by the judges because they are praised for pushing and not being complacent or passive, while girls are encouraged to take less of an aggressive role during the round,” said Osman-Krinsky.

The members of Women in Debate have long since taken their own steps towards challenging the gender differences in debate.

“As a novice, that was the first time I noticed [that] unless I was wearing high heels and a pencil skirt, people would not take me seriously, or that you had to be docile if you were debating a male opponent,” said Posner.

Posner began dressing more casually forher debates and became more assertive when debating against a male. She would often show up to rounds in jeans and a t-shirt.

“We’re criticized when we raise our voices, and we are actually docked speaker points if a judge thinks we’re being catty,” said Osman-Krinsky. Thankfully, the women in debate are not planning on letting these issues bring them down -- instead, they serve as motivation.

Bronx Science as a school has be-

“Unless I was wearing high heels and a pencil skirt, people would not take me seriously, or you had to be docile if you were debating a male opponent.” cerns that are legitimate and really universally shared is something that is really important . . . This is my way to give back; to say that I’ve talked about it for four years.”

Clearly, the Women in Debate initiative has already challenged gender biases within the debate community, both at Bronx Science and the community at large.

(Moot Court Wins Gold) continued from page 1...

The Moot Court team poses outside of the Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse in Lower Manhattan. push to the finals for the first time since their championship season in 2010.

“What I was most proud to see this year was the students’ dedication to the team and

to each other. They were all very selfless and worked very hard for the good of the team,” Mr. Symons added.

While the team is celebrating their win, the members are also looking forward to the Bronx Science Mock Trial team, which is slightly bigger than the Moot Court team.

The team works with the same law firm, and everyone on the Moot Court team is also on the Mock Trial team.

“They were all very selfless and worked very hard for the good of the team.”

The students will be preparing in the next few months for more competitions against other schools in a traditional courtroom setting, with opening statements, direct examinations, cross examinations, and closing statements.

Scaffolding Engulfs Bronx Science Once Again

An e-mail went out to the school community on October 26th, 2016, regarding a major physical change in the appearance of our school, as scaffolding would soon be constructed to surround all sides of the building. Starting in November 2016, the school community began to notice the process, which continued throughout the month. This project is all a part of a two year-long process of replacing the school’s roof.

For years, students with classrooms on the third floor have experienced the leaks that occur every time it rains and snows. According to Mr. Walter Giorgis-Blessent, who teaches in the Foreign Language wing, “the leak in Room 315 has been a problem for years.

It has caused a lot of damage.”

Madiha Alam / The Science Survey

By MADIHA ALAM

school staff knows their students best, and we want to cut down on the time and paperwork needed to submit a testing accommodations request.” said David Coleman, president and CEO of the College Board.

Many students at Bronx Science receive accommodations at school but were rejected by the College Board, meaning that they would not have these benefits on exams such as APs or the SAT. “I think it’s really significant that there had to be a Justice Department investigation and that people who needed accommodations had to fight for them. People that need accommodations should get them, and I’m glad that the College Board is helping students to pass exams,” said Gregory Ginsburg ’18.

With this new expansion of help, more students will now be able to achieve the test scores that they deserve, rather than be hindered by the constraints they previously had.

Some Bronx Science students receive extra time accommodations (either double time or time and a half), often due to ADHD, but reasons can also be from less common issues such as post-concussion syndrome.

“What’s important to remember is that it’s not a one size fits all; kids have different needs and should have equal opportunity in test-taking.

The College Board should be better equipped for accommodations,” said Sofia Burton ’18, who receives accommodations from both our school and the College Board.

The College Board, it seems, has finally taken complaints like these with more serious consideration. According to the College Board website, the new determiner of whether or not students will receive the requests they apply for is a “yes” answer to two questions: “Is the requested accommodation(s) in the student’s plan?” and “Has the student used the accommodation(s) for school testing?” Most accommodations on College Board exams will now be approved for the students who are eligible for them.

(Students Aim to Curb Sexism in Debate) continued from page 1...

Ryan Foo / The Science Survey

College Board Addresses Testing Accomodations

The scaffolding around the front of the building includes long fencing down the physics wing.

The School Construction Authority determined that leaks such as this one required a full reconstruction of the roof, which meant that scaffolding had to be put up in order to ensure the safety of students and faculty while the project takes place.

Although there is no construction being done on the

“They thought they could do a partial fix ... But when they were near completion with that, they realized that it wouldn’t be enough.”

Scaffolding has also returned to the courtyard, blocking off the walkway between the math wing and the benches closest to the school.

roof during school hours, the scaffolding is necessary to prevent equipment on the roof from falling to the ground.

During the 2014 spring semester, the building also underwent a construction project that required scaffolding.

This was also in relation to the leaks in the building, and the School Construction Authority thought that the problem could be solved by replacing the mortar in the bricks. “They thought they could do a partial fix, which was a big project back then.

But when they were near completion with that, they realized that it wouldn’t be enough, that

The cafeteria entrances have become more crowded in the morning, as one entrance to the school has been closed.

we would actually be needing a full roof replacement,” said Ms. Phoebe Cooper, the Assistant Principal of Organization at Bronx Science.

Many seniors have expressed their concern about the return of the scaffolding, as the 2014 project took place during their freshman year. “There was scaffolding up during my freshman year, and now it’s up again. I don’t enjoy the thought of exiting the school the way that I entered it,” said Janvi Choudhary ’17.

However, the necessary roof replacement project will be completed as quickly as possible.

“As anyone who has witnessed

me dealing with the construction crew knows, I have been advocating for the welfare and safety of our students and faculty at every turn, and I will make sure that when this is done, the scaffolding will come down right away. I understand what a burden it is on the students, as well as the faculty and all of the administration, to have the scaffolding up,” said Ms. Cooper.

The project will last for approximately two years, meaning that current seniors and juniors may never see the building’s facade as it has been for the majority of their time at Bronx Science.

6

Feature Ringing in the Lunar New Year

2017 has already made its debut, and so has the Year of the Rooster. The Lunar New Year was held on January 28th, 2017, and this year, the rooster is taking its turn on the zodiac cycle.

The Lunar New Year is a holiday typically celebrated by Asian countries that follow the lunar calendar. As it does in Western cultures, this New Year signifies new beginnings and the start of another prosperous year. Some traditions that are practiced aim to bring good luck to the new year.

Though different cultures have slight variations of this day, it is typical to gather with close family and friends, to pay respects to ancestors, to eat a multitude of different traditional food dishes, and of course, to receive red envelopes filled with crisp dollar bills.

Alexa Asch / The Science Survey

By EMILY YU

Deborah Ruiz ’17 practices for the upcoming Lunar New Year production.

For Deborah Ruiz ’17, the Lunar New Year means family gatherings and traditions.

“During the Lunar New Year, my Korean family and I usually gather at my aunt’s house. We eat Korean rice cakes and dumpling soup since it’s a Korean tradition. The younger members of our family (including me) give our respects to the elders by bowing down to them and wishing them

“Our culture is something that can be enjoyed by people of all backgrounds.” a happy new year. They then give us their blessings, wish us a happy new year, and give us envelopes with money,” said Ruiz.

At Bronx Science, this holiday is celebrated by the majority of the student body.

For Koyuki Yasui ’17, the school does not play that much of a role in her celebration. “I feel like the holiday has turned

into a more personal family celebration rather than with friends in school. It is centered on family above all,” said Yasui.

The school’s Lunar New Year Club is familiar with this feeling and has worked hard to change this aspect of the holiday.

The club produces a show every year at Bronx Science, in order to honor the Lunar New Year and Asian culture in general.

Although the production is usually held later in the year than the actual Lunar New Year, the show still remains a staple in expressing many of our students’ Asian culture through performance.

“It’s important to have this type of cultural performance, because it teaches other members of our student body that our culture is something that can be enjoyed by people of all backgrounds. It allows us to express our love for our own heritage and to keep close ties with our cultural roots,” said Co-President Deborah Ruiz, ’17.

Senioritis Infects the Class of 2017 Wearing sweatpants four of five days of the school week. Arriving thirty minutes late to your first period class every day. Excessive absence. Considering your homework to be optional. All of these are symptoms of the epidemic spreading throughout the senior class of 2017: senioritis.

Urban Dictionary defines senioritis as “When high school seniors get lazy, no longer care, and just can’t wait till school ends. There is only one cure: graduation.” It usually begins to affect students when college applications are sent in and they are no longer motivated to put in an effort to keep their grades up. After three and a half long years of working hard, many are eager for the end of high school.

“I started experiencing senioritis sometime last year.

I had a lot of senior friends who were going through it, so it started to rub off on me,” Sarah Higuchi Crowell ’17 said. “Since then, I’ve started to procrastinate a lot more. I’ve finished way too many Netflix shows in the past months, and I spend most of my time doing nothing.”

Although senioritis has mostly minor consequences, for some, it can lead to a lot of stress.

February Crossword

By SOPHIA XIAN Across 1. Small pieces of metallic material thrown 2. Number gambling game of chance 4. Kiss under the 5. Colorful explosions in the sky 6. 2013 Animated Disney film 7. An elaborate and spectacular production 10. x^2 ; popular place in Manhattan 11. To shimmer or shine 12. Kind of glove with two sections 14. A pantomime game 15. Person employed to drive an automobile 18. Dome-shaped Eskimo house 19. Human figure made of snow 21. The more you take, the more you leave behind 22. “You can’t catch me, I’m the...”

25. Flightless seabirds 26. “Ten...Nine...Eight…”

27. Tapering piece of ice 28. Cold metal box to store food

Down 1. Hot chocolate and coffee 3. First day of the new year 8. When a person makes a promise of self-improvement 9. Senior Class Advisor 13. Browned bread; raise a drink 16. Aggregation of ice crystals 17. Vehicle spelled the same forwards and backwards 20. Device for making a loud noise 23. The inception of something 24. A severe snowstorm

“I find myself always rushing to finish everything, and stuff can really pile up,” Josh Pope ’17 stated. “A question I often ask myself is: incomplete or late?”

Sometimes, a lack of attention to schoolwork can lead to serious disorganization and neglect in classes. “No matter how hard I tried at the beginning of the year, I couldn’t keep myself from it. I had a super organized binder in September, and now it’s basically just a bunch of papers,” Evan Enochs ’17 said.

The biggest cause of senioritis is acceptance into college, which often marks a time where students feel as if they no longer have to care about their grades. They’ve finally accomplished what they’ve been working toward all of their their high school careers--going to college.

“I probably started experiencing it at the beginning of this year, but I have definitely felt it more than ever, since I was accepted into college,” Rajiv Beepat ’17 said. “I just lost motiLauren Mirkovich ’17, Katrina Ramazan ’17, Jasmyn Crumpler ’17, vation to try as much as I did in previous years. Now, I’ll start and Kimberly Cruz ’17 sporting comfy attire. homework at 11 p.m. or 12, whereas in previous years, I started homework as soon as I got home from school.”

Procrastination can often lead to a lot of worry if Thankfully for the class of 2017, the school year work is left to the last minute. “I sometimes struggle is more than halfway over. Although these next few to find the will to work, even though I really need to, months may seem like the longest ever, it’s a time to and it can lead to poor grades,” Andrew Ma ’17 said. relax and enjoy the little time left as a high schooler.

Afsana Hussain / The Science Survey

By CLAUDIA KITCHEN

SAT CRASH COURSE! 4 Days- Spring Break – No School Prep for the May 5, 2017 New SAT Course Format: 2 Diagnostic Tests plus 2 Detailed Reviews Monday April 10, 2017 – Thursday April 13, 2017 Morning Session 1: 8:00 am to 12:00 pm Afternoon Session 2: 12:30 pm to 4:30 pm Evening Session 3: 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm Class size 8-12 Students

Register for classes at www.KwellerPrep.com Class 1: Monday, April 10, 2017 – Test 1 Class 2: Tuesday, April 11, 2017 – Review 1 Class 3: Wednesday, April 12, 2017 – Test 2 Class 4: Thursday, April 13, 2017 – Review 2 Locations in Queens and Manhattan

For those observing, please be mindful of holidays: * Passover: Monday April 10, 2017 – Tuesday April 18, 2017 * Good Friday: April 14, 2017 * Easter Sunday: April 16, 2017

Arts & Entertainment Rogue One Breaks Barriers, Leaves Fans Wanting More

In 1977, George Lucas released a science-fiction action film and began a franchise that would very soon skyrocket and make its way into movie stardom.

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope ranked in a total of $775 million dollars in the Box Office, and the franchise so far has acquired over $6 billion dollars throughout its various films.

On December 16th, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was released by Lucasfilms, becoming the latest addition to the series, and acting as a standalone film, taking place just before Lucas’ 1977 film.

Rogue One follows Jyn Erso, the daughter of the lead engineer who created the Death Star, in her journey to prevent the catastrophic consequences of the moon-sized planet destroyer.

Joining the Rebel Alliance, Jyn is accompanied by four other Rebellion members, consisting of a blind warrior and his friend, an Imperial pilot, and a Rebellion captain.

After finding out that Jyn’s father has planted a flaw within the Death Star, the group sets out to obtain the plans which hold the weakness that can destroy the Death Star. Following a difficult battle, the team achieves their goal, giving the Rebels a fighting chance against the Imperial Empire.

Similar to Episode IV, Rogue One’s theme is centralized around hope. Building on this idea, the film demonstrates how a group ultimately reaches their goal

despite all odds against them, mirroring of Rogue One is by far the most diverse. the first film of the original trilogy.

Consisting of a Hispanic, a Pakistani, and Perhaps one of the most interesting two Chinese lead characters, Rogue One aspects of the film was director Gareth pushes racial boundaries, which helps Edwards’ decision to cast a female protag- to promote equality in the film industry. onist.

Yoh remarked, “I saw that the casting Just like Princess Leia in the origi- had diversity, which feels absolutely great, nal films and Rey in The Force Awakens, as representation is something that is Jyn acts as a stereotype-breaking heroine needed more in films.” who acts as There an inspiraare mixed tion to girls feelings watching, about the by showing computthat they er-generattoo can ed imagery make differ(CGI) used ences in the in Rogue causes they One.The believe in. film, unlike “I think others behaving a fore, used female lead extensive was a reCGI to markable mimic the Fiona Sullivan ’18 is a fan of the Star Wars franchise. faces of Carrie decision by the producers in such a male-cen- Fisher as Princess Leia in Episode IV and the tered franchise.” said James Snyder ’18. late Peter Cushing as Grand Moff Tarkin.

Likewise, Daniel Yoh ’18 said, “Having Many complained about how noticeable strong female roles does a lot for repre- the CGI was. sentation for women, and girls nowadays Fiona Sullivan ’18 said, “The CGI don’t get enough of that. They need inspi- people were a bit much for me. I don’t ration to push themselves to be indepen- think we are quite there technology-wise dent, and confidence to be able to shoot or ready for what they were trying to do.” for what their heroines do in the movies Sean O’Connell ’17 concurred and or in books.” said, “Princess Leia’s face was really wavy.

In comparison to the casts of sev- It made me uncomfortable, because of its eral other Star Wars movies, the cast uncanny feel.”

Cuban Culture Showcased by City After Castro’s Death

By ELIANA CHIOVETTA Cuban culture has made its appearance in New York City at an exhibit in The American Museum of Natural History. The exhibit, titled “¡Cuba!”, opened on November 21st, 2016 and runs through August 13th, 2017. This exhibit pays tribute to the vibrant culture of the country, displaying works from artists and interviews from actresses, artists, dancers and other locals. The exhibit also included interviews from former natives now living in the United States.

Cuba’s rich music, food, and art was shown in the exhibit. In addition to the culture, the exhibit also reflected the flourishing religious life of Cuba. Myriad religions are present in the country and were shown with objects and interviews, both from Cubans now living in the United States and those still in the country.

Pictures of Cuba’s beautiful landscape lined the walls, showing the biodiversity present in the country. Though the exhibit highlights Cuba’s rich culture and natural resources, the exhibit also briefly touches on the embargo with the United States, which caused financial hardship to Cuba.

Interviews with artists reflected their lack of access to materials. Despite limited resources, interviewees seemed positive and nationalistic.

The exhibit celebrates the truly bold culture of Cuba, yet it belittles the economic barriers that residents of the country face. The limited access of the people to food and work materials was seemingly solely attributed to the Embargo in only one paragraph. The former dictator of Cuba, Fidel Castro, and his impact on the country was not a main focus; rather, the exhibit focuses on the diverse and rich aspects of Cubans’ lives.

Cuba is a somewhat foreign subject to some Bronx Science students, but they do know who Castro is.

“I don’t know that much about Cuban culture, but it seems interesting. I do know, however, who Castro is and that he

created Cuba’s economic system,” said Dashall Nelson, ’17,.

Fidel Castro passed away on November 25th, 2016, in Havana, Cuba. With his death, the culture of Cuba may be able to flourish to its full potential. Under Castro’s regime, Cubans were restricted in their daily necessities and limited in their options for career success. This did, however, “encourage more creativity,” according to a local artist.

The exhibit touched upon this concept with interviews from Cubans who moved to the U.S. in order to gain more opportunities. Cuba’s beautiful culture was undermined by the country’s lack of economic possibilities. This was alluded to

“‘¡Cuba!’ highlighted the country’s achievements in dance, art, theatre and film, and addressed the economic constrictions that the country faced.” by a former NYU professor originally from Cuba, who said that she had to go to the United States in order to obtain a job as a professor.

While the exhibit pays homage to Cuba’s culture well, it could have been more clear on Castro’s impact upon the country.

However, the museum is generally well regarded and displays exhibits nicely, this one being no exception. “¡Cuba!” highlights the country’s achievements in dance, art, theatre and film, and addresses the economic constrictions that Cuba has faced, preventing the country from fully engaging in the arts.

This restriction was attributed chiefly to the embargo with the United States.

The exhibit highlights the diverse artistic, cultural, and religious life of Cuba and Cubans living across the world.

Others criticized the film’s use of CGI as immoral. Critics from the Huffington Post called the use of CGI “a giant breach of respect for the dead.”

Most, however, enjoyed the use of the advanced technology and the possibilities that it may have. Critics from the Wall Street Journal praised its use and said it “points the way to reanimating Hollywood.”

Snyder said, “I thought it was very cool how they used CGI to recreate the likenesses of Peter Cushing and Carrie Fisher.”

Overall, Rogue One was received positively by fans and critics alike.

“I’m very happy with how this movie was handled, and with the final product. I absolutely loved the movie. I came in to see a great film about a regular group of rebels fighting for their cause, and I wasn’t disappointed at all,” Yoh said. “ The visual effects were on point, and the plot was concise and left no loose ends, leaving me satisfied and without questions by the end of the film.” Viewers were happy with the film’s original and unique plot.

Sullivan said, “I thought it was a very good film, and very well done.

They did a great job creating an original plot and using different characters while tying it back to the original movie.”

Through connections to previous films, unique casting choices, an original plot, and a hopeful theme, Rogue One successfully leaves fans content and asking for more films from the Star Wars franchise.

Netflix Breaks Internet; Now Available Offline Alana Rosenthal / The Science Survey

By BRIANNA LE

Melina Asteriadis / The Science Survey

8

Sabrina Scollar ‘17 unwinds during her commute home by watching The Office through Netflix’s offline feature.

By ALANA ROSENTHAL It is the moment everyone has been waiting for -- viewing Netflix offline. A large population of teens are Netflix enthusiasts, and they could not be more excited to watch Netflix when they are offline.

“It is such a hassle trying to connect to random wifi networks, and now I won’t have to do that! I am a Netflix-addict, and I watch at least one episode every day. This is the best news,” Sabrina Scollar ’17 said.

Netflix’s new offline viewing update allows users to watch Netflix original shows whenever and wherever they want. People can now watch in the car, in a wifi-less restaurant, on a plane, or even in school. “I always am so bored when I am on planes, because I have nothing to do. Hearing the news that I can now watch Netflix on the plane made my day,” said Ellery Weiner ’18.

This has been one of the most requested features for the video streaming platform, and with the latest update, Netflix users can watch their favorite shows either by streaming them online

or downloading them for offline viewing with no extra cost. This means that Netflix original shows, such as Stranger Things and Orange is the New Black, can now be easily watched at any time.

Netflix officials point out that while many of its users currently stream video at home, the company also wants to enable subscribers to continue streaming even while in areas with limited, expensive, or nonexistent internet connection.

To download a show for offline viewing, users can simply open the details page for a movie or television series and click a download button. “Learning about this new update, I am going to go home and download an entire movie, so that I am prepared for whenever I don’t have internet and want to watch a film,” Sam Grossman ’17 said.

The new offline viewing feature is available on all Netflix plans and available on all platforms, including smartphones and tablets running Android or iOS. To start downloading

“The offline viewing feature is available on all Netflix plans and on all platforms.”

Netflix content for offline viewing, all that you need to do is tto upgrade to the latest version of the application.

According to Netflix, the same amount of data is used to stream Netflix episodes on your phone as is used to download episodes for offline viewing, so there is truly no downside.

Netflix offline viewing has been a long time coming, and earlier rumors hinted at a release by the end of 2016, which, to the delight of many viewers, turned out to be accurate. “I am so excited to start watching netflix offline. Honestly, this is a dream come true,” Klara Wichterle ’17 said.

Arts & Entertainment Art Crawl with Anna

Dreamland At The Whitney technology’s prevalence is constantly growing, finding the intersection between technology and other fields becomes increasingly important.

As high schoolers, Bronx Science students unknowingly involve themselves in the fields created by experimenters of the last century, whose work finding the middle ground between art and technology is exhibited in Dreamlands.

Talia Protos / The Science Survey

Dreamlands: Immersive Cinema and Art 1905-2016.

“Today, there are computer programs with which it is possible to create art and graphic designs, including architectural plans, virtual realities, and digital visual representations of just about anything.

The creation and utilization of technology in an innovative way can also be considered an intersection of technology and art, especially displayed through popular mediums such as cinema and video games,” said Gabrielle Sevillano ’18, an avid user of digital art tablets.

The Whitney Museum of American art is extremely accessible for Bronx Science students, only a forty-five minute ride on the subway to 14th Street in Manhattan and a short walk further west.

The museum makes entrance extremely easy for high schoolers, as tickets for those under 18 are free. Additionally, the museum provides educational programs, including an open studio program on Friday afternoons, in which teens can bring their own works or simply come by themselves to make art.

Other programs include opportunities for teen leadership, exploration of careers in the arts, and work with young, contemporary artists.

It’s a Cole, Cole World

BY RAHNUMA BEHESHTI The holiday season is all about giving, and many fans of prominent artists, young and old, received the gift of multiple new albums.

Jermaine Lamarr Cole, better known for his stage name J. Cole, skyrocketed through music charts after the release of his critically acclaimed LP, 2014 Forest Hills Drive.

Exactly two years later, J. Cole released his fourth studio album from Dreamville Records under Roc Nation and Interscope Records, titled 4 Your Eyez Only. The album consists of ten songs with no features from other artists, making it purely Cole.

Critics of Cole’s new album argue that his previous works portrayed his musical abilities much better. But Cole’s purpose was to tell a story, and his album did just that, from the first song to the very last.

It unwinds a tale about love and family.

As the album progresses, Cole continues by describing difficulty, bad decisions, and pain. He puts himself in another person’s shoes and raps through different perspectives.

“His album wasn’t meant for his audience to ‘turn up’ to; it’s more for listen-

ers to reflect on and really hear what he’s trying to say. It’s definitely much different from the common theme in the songs other rappers have been putting out now, but I do feel that it’s a good album, even though there could be some improvement,” says Tasfia Alam ’17.

Cole describes his growth and change as

Rahnuma Beheshti / The Science Survey

Tasfia Alam ‘17 listening to J. Cole’s latest album. he becomes a mature, family man and realizes what’s important in his life.

In his seventh song, “Neighbors,” he touches on social class and race issues.

He fears that his wealth will make the neighbors believe that he’s a drug dealer.

In “Immortal” and “Ville Mentality,” he addresses the dangers of being a street rapper and tries to find a way out.

4 Your Eyez Only sold 492,000 copies in the first week surpassing The Weeknd’s opening sales for Starboy of 348,000.

All ten songs in the album, as well as his non-album ones, including diss tracks, “False Prophets” and “Everybody Dies” appear on the Billboard Hot 100. “Deja Vu” leads the entries at Number 7, picking up 26.9 million on-demand domestic streams for the opening week, while also taking the Number 1 spot on the On-Demand Streaming Songs chart.

“J.Cole’s album is definitely different from past ones; but the difference is good.

In 2016, there was a wave of rappers who lacked substance, and I think this album veers away from that,” said Isabel Reyers ’17. “Cole talks about serious issues, which is refreshing.”

Whether or not you are a fan of J. Cole’s music or rap in general, 4 Your Eyez Only is definitely worth the listen.

By ANNA CLEVENGER Anna Clevenger / The Science Survey

By TALIA PROTOS The Whitney Museum’s exhibit Dreamlands: Immersive Cinema and Art 19052016 lays before the viewer a plethora of mediums and works through which to explore the development of art and technology in the last century.

Displaying the work of over 35 artists, Dreamlands allows viewers to witness the ways in which conventional technology has been dismantled and reworked into a variety of experiments in modern artistic expression. Some pieces tackled the world’s entrance into a new age of technological advancement. Hito Steyerl’s work, modeled after a three-dimensional motion-capture studio, also features a screen on which scenes from an actual motion-capture studio are depicted, interspersed with videos of newscasting, personal stories, and drone footage.

Meanwhile, other works, such as Mathias Poledna’s Imitation of Life return to older art forms. Poledna created a handdrawn animated short, reminiscent of films made in the 1930’s and 1940’s, with a style and production technique that have since met their demise.

In a twenty-first century world where

9

Scene in Othello: The Remix When most people think of Shakespeare, the first thing that comes to mind is a multitude of plays full of dense language, not eighty minutes of high intensity hip-hop. However, Othello: The Remix, created by the Q Brothers, could change that. The show, recently concluding its run at the Westside Theater in Midtown Manhattan, brought a modern twist to the age old tale of love, betrayal and revenge.

The opening line, “Oh snap!”, sung in perfect unison by all four members of the cast, sets the tone for the rest of the show. The original story of deceit that Shakespeare created, although reimagined through a contemporary lens, still shines through in the show. The Q Brothers, GQ and JQ, who directed and star in the show, seamlessly weave humor into a play about love and murder, turning the centuries old tragedy into a modern comedy.

Othello, originally written to be a general in the Venetian military, is reimagined as a hip hop mogul. His right hand man Iago, an underground rap purist, feels betrayed when Othello promotes Casio, a pop rapper (who Iago believes is better off leading a boy band), instead of him.

Enter Roderigo, a nerdy loser who is in love with Othello’s girl, and you have yourself the perfect recipe for a contemporary story of revenge.

There are no women in the production, as was the case in Shakespeare’s time. Instead, there are only four men and a DJ. There are, however, female characters, played by men wearing wigs and dresses, with the exception of Desdemona, Othello’s wife, who is featured only as vocals played back by the DJ. “I think it’s very impressive how much the lyrics of the show parallel the original play, but still manage to be refreshing and new,” Ilana Duchan ’18. “The acting was amazing as well. The show was so entertaining.”

For Bronx Science students who read Shakespeare plays year after year in English, shows like this one can provide new insight to what may seem like an outdated and irrelevant story. With its fresh musical style and great showmanship, Othello: The Remix engages Shakespeare in a way that few have ever seen before.

When Spider-Man Came to Bronx Science For wo days last year, there was one extra student roaming the hallways alongside thousands of Bronx Science students. This “student” was Tom Holland, star of the upcoming Spider-Man: Homecoming movie that will be released in July 2017. The then British nineteen-year-old fooled nearly every Bronx Science student he encountered with just a fake name and accent.

“I had the privilege of chaperoning Tom Holland around the school. The Assistant Principal of Organization, Ms. Cooper, knew me through robotics, and Marvel had reached out to her to find a student whom Tom could shadow who was STEM-oriented like Peter Parker. He pretended to be my cousin, Ben,” said Arun Bishop ’16.

Holland explained that because he went to an all boys uniform school, attending a public co-ed school, even for just two days, helped him hone his role as Peter Parker.

At a Q & A session in the Bronx Science auditorium at the end of his undercover visit last year, he described to many students his experience in acting and in Spider-Man:

Homecoming specifically. know, Spider-Man has to hold out his hand, Holland told students at the Q & A that palm up, and press his middle and ring at one point during his visit, he and Bishop finger against his palm in order to release did try to tell one student who he was. “I his webs. Holland, however, cannot touch was like ‘Hey man, listen, I’m actually Spi- these two fingers to his palm on either of der-Man,’” Holland recalled. “He didn’t be- his hands. lieve me.” “It was a lot of fun “Nobody found out about my to be in on the secret.” Bishop inability to do the hand gesadded, “Tom and I played a ture until we actually startcouple ‘pranks’ on students. ed shooting the movie. I For example, he had me film got the part after auditionhim while he jokingly intering with big stunts, so it was viewed kids on whether they a surprise when we found were Marvel fans, who their out that it was impossible favorite superheros were, for me to do something so and what they thought of the simple,” Holland told the new Spider-Man actor.” students.

Along with recounting deThe new Spider-Man Holland during a Q & A tails about his visit to the movie is a coming-of-age stosession last year. school, Holland also told ry, which follows Peter Parker many entertaining anecdotes about his ex- through his life as high school student at perience as an actor. One story that par- the “Midtown School of Science and Techticularly resonated with the Bronx Science nology”, a fictional school based on Bronx students present at the Q & A was about Science. As he tries to survive high school, Holland’s experience with Spider-Man’s Parker’s superhero alter-ego faces a new signature hand gesture. As anyone who villain, the Vulture, played by Michael Keahas seen a Spider-Man movie before would ton. In addition to Holland and Keaton, Emily Bedolis /The Science Survey

By EMILY BEDOLIS

the movie will feature the Disney Channel actress, Zendaya, who will be playing Mary Jane Watson, Parker’s chief love interests in the Spider-Man comics.

“I am so excited to see Spider-Man: Homecoming when it comes out. I’m a huge Zendaya fan, and I love the original movie, so I want to see if they can pull off making one in such a completely different generation,” said Alena Blaise ’18, one of many students who attended the Q & A last spring. “I was shocked when I found out that some random guy had been roaming our halls for three days, but when I met him at the Q & A and heard his story, I thought it was hilarious,” Blaise said.

Along with many other members of the S!NG Club, Blaise got the opportunity to ask Holland a question about his work. “I asked him about how he manages to stay positive while pursuing a career that is known for how many rejections it hands out,” Blaise explained. “I always have a backup plan,” Holland replied to her question, “That way, if I do get rejected, I’m not left wondering what to do or where to go next.”

10

Spotlight

Student Featured in Art Exhibition

By ANASTASIA KOUTAVAS

Serena Lu ’18 was recently acknowledged by ArtsConnection, an organization that provides opportunities to students in New York City to showcase their art. Lu’s photograph was selected for a year-long display at ArtsConnection’s exhibition “Embracing Opportunities”.

Her congratulatory feat is a kind reminder of many Bronx Science students who work past the science label and achieve recognition for their passion for humanities and the arts.

Lu proved the power of the little things that are present in our day-to-day lives through her artwork. Prompted by the deadline of a school photography project that encouraged her to identify patterns within the environmental surrounding her, Lu searched for inspiration in the welcoming walls of her own home. She quickly identified colorful origami stars, then captured the vibrant design on her first shot.

“It was a totally unique design that I noticed in my house,” Lu said. “The colors stood out to me and the uniqueness of each star made for a great pattern.”

‘A Pocketful of Light,” the photo by Serena Lu that was selected for exhibition by ArtsConnection.

Early in this school year, Lu was notified by her former photography teacher Ms. Gayle Asch about ArtsConnection’s competition. Together, they came to the realization that the photograph matched the theme of the exhibition “Embracing Opportunities.”

Lu applied for the spot at the exhibition in September of 2016, receiving her response close to the end of the year.

The Voices Behind Bronx Science

By SOPHIA MALIKI

she accidentally said the wrong time for the Speech and Debate interest meeting.

You hear them nearly every day at the start of She recounted, “Ms. Cooper made third period, but do you really know the peo- wild hand motions and mouthed the ple behind the voices on the loudspeakers? right time. On the air, I said ‘CORRECMany Bronx Science students depend on TION - the meeting will be held at 3:00, the daily announcements for up-to-date not 3:45!’ I was embarrassed, but it information, but few people think twice gave me a rush of adrenaline!” about what it takes to be an announcer.

These skills will also prepare seniors Samuel Shapiro ’17 is a veteran in his third Sharp, Shapiro, and Chiovetta to puryear as an announcer. He was inspired to sue majors in college involving interapply to lead the announcements during his national relations and communication. sophomore year, when he heard his brothers’ Sharp is passionate about environmenfriends, Elizabeth Speed ’14 and Benjamin tal law and policy. She draws inspiration Boyd ’14, leading them. About 25-30 stu- from her Jamaican heritage and the envidents apply each year in Ms. Cooper’s office ronmental problems that face the counwith a practice announcement and a joke. try. When she visits the capital, Kingston, Eliana Chiovetta ’17 noted that her fa- it is always under a layer of smog and has vorite part of updating students is say- a prominent stench of burnt trash, pushing the joke of the day because, ing her to work towards perma“Even though they are often nent environmental solutions. corny, they make me smile.”

Similarly, Shapiro’s dream August Padua ’18 agreed, job is to work as a criminal noting that “It is the only prosecutor for the Interunscripted part of the national Justice System. announcements.” ShaChiovetta plans to major piro added that his fain international relations vorite joke of the day and political science. is “What’s the best part There is also a common of Switzerland? Well, love of the arts among the flag is a big plus!” three of the announcers.

The morning announce“My dream job would be ments have professional also helped acting,” PadSeasoned announcer Sam Shapiro ‘17 enjoys these stu- researching possible contenders for the Joke of the Day. ua expressed, dents to deciting his love velop their of performextemporaneous speaking skills. ing. Chiovetta is also a member of the cast Ise Sharp ’17, an announcer and a mem- of S!NG at Bronx Science and enjoys workber of the Bronx Science Speech and Debate ing with children at the Guggenheim and Team, acknowledged, “We always Jewish museums in her spare time. have to improvise and correct “Going to Bronx Science ourselves while speaking, made me realize that I am because we usually do not not really a STEM perhave time to read the full son,” Chiovetta admitted. submissions from teams In addition to enviand clubs beforehand.” ronmental law, Sharp Shapiro admitted that is also interested in even after three years, pursuing art history. he still makes the oc“My mother is an artist, casional mistake. Howso I’ve grown up going to ever, he also believes that museums and exhibits a this experience has helped few times a month,” she exhim learn to think on his feet. plained. “I really love the sto“Nervousries behind Announcer Eliana Chiovetta ’17 cherishes her time ness is part the artwork.” spent speaking over the loudspeaker. of the fun of While somePhotos by Sophia Maliki / The Science Survey it all. I enday you may joy the butfind these anterflies in my stomach before the an- nouncers ruling on the Supreme Court, nouncements start,” Padua added. passing historic laws in Congress, cleanAlthough, like Chiovetta and Sharp, ing up the environment, acting in movit is Padua’s first year as an announc- ies, or creating award-winning artwork;,er, he has already had experience with for now, you can hear them every day for speaking and performing in front of an the first three minutes of third period. audience as a cast member of multiple Bronx Science plays and musicals.

Chiovetta learned the importance of quick thinking her first day on the job, when

Emailed about the win by both ArtsConnection and her former photography teacher Ms. Asch, Lu noted, “I didn’t expect to have my photo selected among the many others submitted. Since I do not consider myself to be a very artistic person, I was very surprised that I won the competition!”

Lu titled her artwork “A Pocketful of Starlight” for its display in the exhibition. “Stars are uniquely bright in the night sky”, Lu says, “and they make many people feel hopeful and happy.”

Although she has not yet had the opportunity to see the exhibition, Lu believes “if I went and saw my photograph on display I would have felt excited for others to see my work and the message behind my work.”

Prior to her exposure to the wonders of art through her sophomore photography class, Lu believes she did not have an artistic side. “Before taking an actual photography class, I was never motivated to take the time to capture an exceptional photo, but now I consider photography to be one of my hobbies,” Lu said.

In addition to her newfound artistic interests, Lu enjoys exploring new areas and spending time with friends and family.

Although uncertain of what her future holds, Lu believes it will not steer her towards something art-related. Her experience with ArtsConnection, however, is one that will remain in her memory.

Science Poets Win Big

By IVAN LACROIX

This year, three students at Bronx Science won awards in prestigious poetry contests. Hillel Rosenshine ’17, Nadia Salahuddin ’17 and Sophia Xian ’17 all managed to either win first place or runner up - all of them were chosen from thousands of applicants that participated in these contests.

Hillel Rosenshine won first place for both the Princeton University and the CUNY Poetry contest, though with different poems. His poem ‘I Know New York’, in which he describes the way he perceives the busy streets of New York, won him the number one place in the Princeton contest, while his other poem called ‘50 Years’ was awarded first place in the CUNY contest.

Hillel entered these contests after hearing about them from Mr. Thorp, English teacher, who has organized these contests for Bronx Science the past few years. Rosenshine’s interest in writing was sparked by him trying to express his ideas in different ways. “I got into writing for a number of reasons. I guess I decided to try it out and kept going with it. It doesn’t come from ‘wanting to write poetry.’ It comes from wanting to think about things differently, and when I think about something like New York, I want to illustrate the thought process in a new and abstract way.”

After the initial surprise of winning first place in the Princeton competition, he

never imagined he would also win the CUNY one as well.

“I was also pretty shocked when I found out about CUNY, because I thought that my Princeton win was a one-hit wonder. I didn’t think I could churn out a second poem that would do as well.”

Nadia Salahuddin won one of two awards for the Foreign language CUNY Poetry awards. She first wrote her poem in English, but later translated it into Italian -- the foreign language that she studies at Bronx Science.

Nadia wrote rhymes when she was younger, and when she heard there was a competition, she decided to enter since there was nothing to lose. Nadia said, “I felt really surprised when I was informed that I was a winner,” having thought that her poem were nothing special.

Sophia Xian was nominated runner up in the CUNY poetry contest. She started writing poetry in the fifth grade when her teacher said that she was impressed by a poem. She, too, didn’t expect a win. “After I was informed of my win, I was pretty shocked,” she said, noting that the poem “was simply something I wrote for fun.”

Nadia’s win has inspired her to write more. She said that after winning she “signed up to be a writer for The Odyssey -- an online blog -- and other platforms.

I now seriously consider writing as a major, or as a possibility in my future, and creative writing has definitely opened up more pathways for me.”

Pictured above (left to right): Hillel Rosenshine ‘17, Nadia Salahuddin ‘17, and Sophia Xian ‘17 All three students were either winners or runners up in recent poetry contests.

Image credit: Ivan LaCroix / The Science Survey

11

Spotlight

DECA Conducts Business Per Usual

Makerspace: A Place for Technology and Innovation

By STELLA STEPHANOPOULOS

BY ELIZABETH JUNG

Samira Ashif / The Science Survey

Bronx Science’s Makerspace initiative invites Wolmuch the Engineering Department has improved verines to explore engineering and technology in an since the time I was a freshman. It has so many more innovative manner. Since its start, Makerspace has advanced and complex tools and machines, which refocused on providing more up-to-date engineering ally shows that the Engineering Department is movtechnology for students. ing forward to keep up with modern technology while Such technology has opened up myriad opportuniletting students experience these technologies firstties for students to explore engineering through their hand.” said Sumaiya Mahin ’17. own scientific projects.

Through MakThe strong comerspace, stumunity within dents get to exMakerspace has plore the world provided a creative of engineering environment for through a crestudents to colative lens. The laborate and learn possibilities are from one another. seemingly endMember of Makless. erspace Joseph The beauty Kingston ’18 acbehind Makknowledged, “I erspace is that usually teach oththere is a chalers while I am lenge for every there.” member to atStudents are actively involved in the The students in Maktack. Most teenBronx Science Makerspace initiative. erspace have created agers hardly know many different projwhat they want to study in college, which can make ects throughout the past couple years. it difficult for students to take advantage on specific In the past, the students created a reactor based on opportunities and clubs at Bronx Science. that found in Marvel’s Iron Man. They even recently Yet, with Makerspace, every student is able to samfinished creating a model steamboat. ple engineering. For those who are interested in engiNow, students have turned their attention to new neering in general, they can try different aspects of it, projects. They plan on making tesla coils and pneusuch as environmental and physical, through Makermatic and hydraulic robots in the near future. All of space. The combination of technology and innovative these projects have been made possible through the atmosphere makes Makerspace a place where stuadvanced 3D printer and laser cutter. dents can teach, create, and learn in new ways.

“Being a part of Makerspace really lets me see how

Earlier this fall, there was a new addition to the long list of clubs at Bronx Science.

Created by Noah Paige ’17 and Lily Greenberg ’17, Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) is a business club that informs students about different business strategies in marketing, finance, hospitality and tourism, and entrepreneurship. DECA meets in Room 302 every Thursday with club advisor, Mr. Schorr.

“Many of my camp friends participate in this club at their school, so I thought it was a good idea to bring it to Bronx Science,” said Greenberg.

“DECA’s goal is to inform members about how to run a business.”

DECA’s goal is to inform its members about how to run a business and how to create innovative strategies to fix problems that arise in the professional world.

“We want to help aspiring Bronx Science entrepreneurs find their passion in the business sector, all in a friendly club environment,” said Paige.

Greenberg remarked that, “DECA helps prepare students interested in these fields of study for future occupations and possible courses in their college education process. Students are able to practice forming arguments, communicating a message to an audience, and crafting inventive and ingenious business proposals.”

Although the structure of each lesson differs on a weekly basis, a typical DECA meeting consists of powerpoint presentations about new business concepts and terminology.

“Sometimes we [Greenberg and Paige] project hypothetical business scenarios on the board and members to share their input on how to fix the problems posed by these scenarios.

Students are constantly thinking on their feet,” said Paige.

Women’s Opera Returns to the Met

By DAVID SHIN

oboe magnified the sense of mystery that was prevalent, followed by more than two dozen LED-lit platforms that For the first time in more than a century, The Metstretched from the pit to the rear of the stage. The reropolitan Opera has performed an opera written by flective LED lights made the scene a spectacular visual a woman to a full house. Finnish composer Kaija feast, evoking a sense of sadness. Rudel eventually arSaariaho’s L’Amour de Loin (French for ‘Love from rives in Tripoli, dying.

Afar’) has made its Met debut on December 6th, 2016 The dramatic last act advanced with Rudel being and played throughout December. carried on a stretcher. When the two The first opera ever produced by distant lovers finally meet, they dea woman at the Met is Der Wald in clare passion, then embrace with 1903 by the British composer Ethel M. a promise to love each other. The Smyth. The current performance was rhetoric used in this act is especialalso the debut of the Finnish conductor ly captivating and romantic, such as Susanna Malkki, who has historically the line, “The last voice I will hear become only the fourth woman to take is yours, seeking to soothe me.” the podium in the company’s history.

Observing their first confrontation, it The story of L’Amour de Loin beappeared illogical, brusque and slightgins with the Prince of Blaye, Jaufre ly awkward. It is unusual for ClemRudel (played by Eric Owens), yearnence, who did not speak highly of Ruing for a different kind of love, a disdel, to fall in love with him instantly. tant one. His introductory dynamIf Sariaaho was trying to describe the ic was maybe too piano for my ears, “love at first sight,” this scene should but it was professionally executed. have been extended a lot more to Rudel is ridiculed by a chorus of his clearly depict the dramatic shift. Ruold companions that he would never del then dies in her arms, and the opfind his “distant love,” until a Pilgrim era ends with Clemence praying to the (played by Tamara Mumford) who has unknown subject. arrived from overseas asserts the womAct V was only accomplished through an of Rudel’s dream does exist. the skillful and calculated delivery of Act I ends with Rudel’s uncontrolthe emotional acting and soulful singlable mental frenzy from the news. ing of the two main characters. The Throughout the act, Rudel stands ending is rather abrupt and empty; The Metropolitan Opera House after the evening show of L’Amour de Loin. on an ordinary rotating stair. Even as the plot of the last act lacks rationality a modern interpretation of the High and even the time to be viably conclusive.

Middle Ages, the plain, unembellished stair was re- grim, embarks across the sea and falls ill from anguish For such an important moment that encompassed both ally distracting at it clashed with the rest of the set. as he set off on impulse. While he sleeps through the the climax and the resolution of the entire opera, the Additionally, it seemed odd for someone of high journey, Clemence pops up periodically from the ocean, ending could definitely be dragged out to elucidate and status to lack jewelry, which signified wealth and suggesting Rudel was dreaming about her. accommodate the melodramatic moment of truth when power in that time period, and be unaccompanied.

The chorus seated under the LED-lit platforms made the distant lovers meet for the first time.

In Act II, the other main character, Clemence their second appearance during this course. Their While the opera lacked some critical details, coher(played by Susanna Phillips), the Countess of Trip- incorporation of the clapping choreography was re- ence and props, the story worked as an opera partly due oli, is introduced. The Pilgrim who had returned to ally interesting and unique, and filled in the miss- to a top-notch performance by the singers. the East informs Clemence of her secret lover, Ru- ing vibrant group synergy to the opera. Clemence’s The seemingly challenging idea of a distant love is del’s. Clemence, who is offended and disturbed, solo line is featured after this point; Susanna Phil- gratifying, and the opera embraces this irrational dreams of her strange, distant lover and even ques- lips’s singing demonstrated her mastery of alto-so- theory fully and admirably. More notably, the opera tions whether she merits such romantic fervor. prano vocal range. Her execution of the soprano lines highlighted the gender gap in the male-dominant inAct II was the highlight of the opera’s comedic aspect, was breathtakingly exquisite and laudable, as evi- dustries of composition and opera production, shedfueled by Clemence’s cruel judgment towards the unfa- dent through her stable vibrato and impeccable pitch. ding light on a much deserved female composer. miliar Rudel; it was in fact also the only time the auThe Metropolitan orchestra, conducted by Malkki, It was refreshing to see a Met Opera production by a dience gave out a gentle laugh as the opera sustained made a notable mark in this act. The myriad of trilling female composer, and conducted by a female. a mysterious and somber theme throughout the play. notes by high woodwind instruments flute, piccolo, and David Shin / The Science Survey

In Act III, Rudel resolves to visit Clemence in person when the Pilgrim tells her that his identity has been unveiled. Overall, this act appeared progressive and facilitated towards the anticipatory Act IV. The first segment of the opera ended here.

The most striking part of the play commenced in Act IV, the second part of the opera. Rudel, led by the Pil-

12 SURVEY SPORTS Phys Ed Teachers Get Their Dancing Shoes On

By MELINA ASTERIADIS

Alexander Thorp / The Science Survey

of both the swimming and lacrosse teams, shared similar sentiments.

On December 9th, 2016, Jenna “After the past four years, it’s great to Kolodny '17 and Skylar Hunnewell '17 be recognized by the PSAL for all my were both awarded the New Era Pin- hard work,” Hunnewell said. stripe Bowl Award for soccer and laBalancing sports with schoolwork can crosse, respectively. Every year, the be challenging, with practices every day Public Schools Athletic League (PSAL) and away games. Kolodny makes an efawards student athletes with outstand- fort to adjust her work ethic in order to ing athletic and academic achieve- handle the stresses that come with bements through this prestigious award. ing a varsity athlete, such as staying fit On top of and performing winning the well, while award, they simultanewere both givously keepen the opporing your tunity to atgrades up. tend the New “I work Era Pinstripe out nearly Bowl between every day, the University and it’s difof Pittsburgh ficult to balPanthers and ance sports the Northwith schoolwestern Uniwork, but versity Wildmy best tip Skylar Hunnewell '17 and Jenna Kolodny '17 cats, held at would be received the award for their athletic Yankee Stadinot to take and academic achievments. um, with the your free latter team winning 31-24. time for granted, whether it For Kolodny, a three-season athlete be free periods or on the train who plays soccer, basketball, and flag ride to school,” said Hunnewell. football, winning the award was a great There was a dinner and ceremony way for her hard work to be remembered. on December 13th, 2016 during the “I work really hard in school and sports. Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium to It was great to be recognized for that af- honor the fifty-five students selected. ter four years,” she said. “It felt really Kolodny plans to continue playing good to know I left a lasting impact.” basketball at either the club or varKolodny is the first Girls’ Var- sity level in college, and Hunnewell sity Soccer player to be awarded will be attending the University of since Annie Eckstein became the Pennsylvania in the fall, where she team’s head coach five years ago. hopes to join a swim or lacrosse club.

Hunnewell, who is the captain

Science Survey Staff Reporters

Raisa Alam, Kristina Ang, Ludy Ansty, Alexa Asch, Samira Ashif, Melina Asteriadis, Caleb Berman, Charlie Brownstein, Ella Caine, Lakshsmi Chatterjee, Brandi Chen, Eliana Chiovetta, Lauren Choi, Ahana Chowdhury, Audrey Cicerello, Michael Ferrari, Tomas Greenberg, Maya Goldberg, Masato Hirakata, Abonee Hossain, Elizabeth Jung, Maha Khan, Radiah Khandokar, Christi Kim, Yuna Komiyama, Ivan Lacroix, Sofie Levine, Victoria Levy, Nicole Liberman, Vivian Ma, Julia Maher, Sophie Malki, Irene Masoutis, Matilda Melkonian, Ismail Mustafa (Senior Staff Reporter), Nicole Neil, Seongji Oh, Talia Protos, Shanzana Rashid, Jonathan Rodriguez, Alana Rosenthal, Kitri Sundaram, Alia Yeancades, Winni You, Emily Yu, and Marco Zembo-Palzer

About The Science Survey is the award-winning student newspaper of The Bronx High School of Science, and it has been published continuously since our high school was founded in 1938. It is planned, researched, written, edited, and designed entirely by students as part of the elective 'Journalism: Newspaper & Yearbook' class, and it is published bi-monthly in a print edition and also online.

Mission We strive to provide information that is accurate, thorough, and unbiased. We aim to enlighten as well as to inform, and we seek to intellectually engage our readers. We wish to serve as a journalistic voice for our diverse student body, and we strive to achieve the highest degree of journalistic integrity, both in our written articles and in our photojournalism.

Students in Ms. Dietrich's gym class try Bollywood Dancing.

By NISTHA BADE SRESTHA In popular T.V. shows, Physical Education (PE) classes are shown as fiery pits of horror and humiliation where the bigger and stronger kids use their size, arrogance, and dodgeballs as weapons against their other puny classmates. At Bronx Science however, this fiery pit of horror and humiliation label is not accurate.

Physical Education teachers, Marion Dietrich and Christopher Dahlem have recently embraced the fun side of exercising by implementing the units BollyX Dancing (Bollywood-inspired dance-fitness routine) and Square Dancing (a style of partner dancing) to the curriculum, respectively.

Both teachers enjoy teaching the origins of different dance forms. Ms. Dietrich and Mr. Dahlem both see it as a way for students to immerse themselves not just physically, but emotionally, into the dances themselves.

“Before we start dancing BollyX, we talk about the differences between the dance styles in regards to origin, background and focus, because I think it is not only interesting, but also important to know about the heritage,” said, Ms. Dietrich, who is teaching Bhangra, Western Folk and Bollywood steps in her BollyX Phys Ed unit.

Along with its origins, language, and expressions, music is a key component of BollyX dancing. Ms. Dietrich currently uses songs that are common among the BollyX community, which contribute to the various dance forms and steps. However, she also said that she is

Nistha Bade Srestha / The Science Survey

Senior Athletes Recognized at New Era Pinstripe Bowl

open to suggestions from students.

“Square dancing is listening to commands and performing them.

Anyone can square dance; it is just a matter of learning the appropriate dance moves that correspond to what the 'caller' is saying,” said Mr. Dahlem, who hopes to start the unit in the spring.

Despite its popularity in the real world and within the halls of Bronx Science, not everyone is fond of dancing. Ms. Dietrich has made BollyX a more flexible unit by allowing students to lead and assist in the choreography. “I really liked how I was able to choreograph a small dance using very simple moves that looked really good together, as well as freely express myself with the moves and that you could add your own flair

"BollyX . . . gives everyone the freedom to express themselves." to it,” said Geevanesam Devakanmalai '17, who took advantage of both dancing and choreographing throughout the unit.

For those questioning BollyX’s place in Physical Education, Ms. Dietrich notes that, “Dancing gets the heart pumping and the blood flowing. It is a fun way of working on cardiovascular endurance, and not everybody enjoys playing basketball.”

“This unit is not much different other than the fact that it's not exactly a sport. If you actually dance, you would know that it is just as physically active as any other sport. Mentally, however, you need to have a rhythm and move to the beat instead of robotically moving off the music,” said Devakanmalai. Ms. Dietrich hopes that students will learn to step outside of their comfort zone by participating in this unit.

“BollyX is an enjoyable dance movement, and it gives everyone the freedom to truly express themselves,” said Dietrich.

Rahman to Give Columbia a Swing

By MICHAEL FERRARI Girls Varsity Tennis star Sarah Rahman PSAL Singles Tournament in the 2015-2016 '17 has officially been recruited by Columbia season. Rahman ranked among the top 50 University to play female tennis playfor their women's ers nationwide and tennis team. She received the High was accepted early School All Ameridecision after becan Athlete award. ing given a verbal “It feels great to be offer in March of recruited. I’m really her junior year. excited to continue Rahman was playing tennis and first e-mailed by have a new experithe head coach of ence," Rahman said.

Columbia's women There are severtennis team. After al stages of recruitwatching her play, ment. Contact, the the coach formally first, is the initial offered Rahman a interaction between Michael Ferrari / The Science Survey spot on the team. a college coach and Sarah Rahman '17 It is rare for the athlete. This occompeting in early fall 2016. a Bronx Science curs face to face, student to be rebut coaches will cruited, even more so to be recruited to e-mail an athlete of interest as well. The a prestigous NCAA Division I University coach will eventually observe the student like Columbia. Rahman recounts her high in game or practice during an evaluation. school career was not solely comprised of If all goes well, a non-binding verbal comtennis. She worked tirelessly throughout mitment is made, which can happen at any her four years as a Wolverine, taking AP time. The athlete agrees to play for said college Courses and maintaining a 95 plus average. before signing the National Letter of Intent.

Rahman has dominated the court since Rahman said that senioritis has not hit age six. She lead the Girls' Varsity Tennis too hard yet, and that she continues to Team to an undefeated season and won the work with enthusiasm on and off the court.