SHA SCIENCE in the News!

Nine SHA students have successfully submitted their applications to the Regeneron Science Talent Search for 2023.

Sacred Heart Academy is proud to share that nine students (pictured above) have successfully submitted applications to the Regeneron Science Talent Search 2023, under the guidance and supervision of Dr. Stephen Sullivan.

Started in 1942 as the Westinghouse Science Talent Search, the Regeneron Science Talent Search (Regeneron STS) recognizes and empowers our nation’s most promising young scientists who are developing ideas that could solve society’s most urgent challenges.

Each year, nearly 1,900 students enter the Regeneron STS, submitting original research in critically important scientific fields of study. Unique among high school competitions, the Regeneron STS focuses on identifying, inspiring, and engaging the most promising scientists among the nation’s high school seniors. Good luck to all the students!

Junior Science & Humanities Symposium

SHA Junior Awarded SAAWA Research Grant Award

Jacqueline Quinn ’23 was awarded the South Asian American Women’s Alliance (SAAWA) Research Grant. The Research Grant program of the South Asian-American Women’s Alliance awards funds to assist hands-on work undertaken by outstanding high school students all across Long Island. The purpose of these awards is to fund the cost of research materials and related expenses associated with promising high school research project proposals or ongoing projects in specific STEM-related disciplines. Jacqueline was awarded a research grant to support her research project, “To what extent will physical and chemical sunscreens impact the mass development of the freshwater organism, fairy shrimp?”

Eleven Sacred Heart Academy girls have now secured eight separate research grants since 2019.

For the first time in school history, every applicant —five SHA seniors—have been invited to present their natural or behavioral science research at the regional finals/national semifinals of the Junior Science & Humanities Symposium at CUNY-York College on Sunday, February 12.

The girls' projects are listed below:

Cara Carbone | Stigma & learning disabilities in a single-sex environment

Isabel Louie | The influence of food allergies on health-related quality of life

All five applicants—seniors Cara Carbone, Isabel Louie, Julia Revill, Madeline Sammut and Shadia Suha have been named national semifinalists in the DoD-sponsored Junior Science & Humanities Symposium for their original research projects.

The Junior Science and Humanities Symposia (JSHS) Program is a Department of Defensesponsored STEM competition which promotes original research and experimentation in the sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) at the high school level and publicly recognizes students for outstanding achievement. By connecting talented students, their teachers, and research professionals at affiliated symposia and by rewarding research excellence, JSHS aims to widen the pool of trained talent prepared to conduct research and development vital to our nation.

Julia Revill | ‘Virginia Slims’ redux: Revisiting the construct of subjective value placed on feminine-advertised products

Madeline Sammut | Limit of brightness of synchrotron radiation facilities imposed by self-heating of long undulators

Shadia Suha | How can absorption spectroscopy be applied within atherosclerosis?

Regeneron Success: Assessing Gender-Based Microaggressions Present in ‘Friend-texts’ at a Single-Sex School

bella guerra ’22 named Regeneron Scholar

Bella Guerra ’22 was named a semifinalist in the Regeneron Science Talent Search (STS) 2022 competition. Bella, whose research project titled “Assessing gender-based microaggressions present in ‘friend-texts’ at a single-sex school,” was among 300 scholars nationally and internationally selected by the Society for Science to advance in the competition.

This is the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science competition for high school seniors, providing an important forum for original research that is recognized and reviewed by a national jury of professional scientists. STS alumni have made extraordinary contributions to science and have earned many of the world’s most distinguished science and math honors, including thirteen Nobel Prizes.

The purpose of Bella’s study was to assess the frequency and nature of dialogic practices of internalized sexism at an all-girls faith-based academy. After thorough research, the results suggest attendance at a single-sex academy can reduce the evidence of gender-based microagressions.

Bella is currently attending Northwestern University. The Whitman Journal of Psychology (WJP) published the article. WJP is the leading peer-reviewed journal for secondary behavioral science research. There are over 450 annual submissions, Bella’s work will be one of approximately twelve to be printed.

“ This project has forever changed my perspective on gender-related issues. It underscores the importance of research in providing insight into personal relationships and societal norms .” —Bella

Guerra ’22

Bella and her classmates worked on her research project under the guidance of SHA Science Research Program Directors, Dr. Beth Feinman and Dr. Stephen Sullivan, over their four years at SHA.

“It’s hard to fathom the amount of work, and the degree of sophistication that goes into a 15-20 page Science Talent Search report. Hundreds of hours of reading, planning, data collection, statistical analysis, and writing—all aimed at an academic audience. I certainly never did anything like this when I was in high school! I couldn’t be prouder of the girls.”

Stephen Sullivan, Ph.D.

Sacred Heart Academy Research Director

THERESA GAMMEL, MD ’14 Keynote Speaker, National Honor Society Induction

Theresa Gammel, MD ’14 received a B.A. from the University of Richmond, with a major in cognitive science and a minor in psychology and her M.D. from Stony Brook University School of Medicine. While at Stony Brook, Theresa worked in the neurosurgery research lab for 4 years, with a focus on the effects of traumatic brain injury on consciousness. She is currently in a 7 year residency in neurosurgery at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Richmond, VA., and hopes to pursue a fellowship after her residency in either pediatric neurosurgery or a specialization with brain tumors.

A day after graduating from Stony Brook University School of Medicine, Dr. Gammel congratulated the 135 juniors being inducted into the NHS.

During Theresa’s junior year at Sacred Heart Academy, her mom, an avid runner, was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. This diagnosis led Theresa to pursue a career in neuroscience, a specialty with only 12% female neurosurgeons.

The first piece of advice Theresa shared with the inductees was, “God always has a plan for you. I hope you get into your dream school, your dream job and profession but remember that there might be something better for you. Secondly, Sacred Heart Academy has prepared you to go into any field you want-medicine, nursing, engineering, finance, teaching….and especially in a male dominated field…You can do it! Lastly, Juniors, always remember your Sacred Heart friends are your friends for life.”