North Bergen Science Newsletter Issue #15

North Bergen Science

Issue #15 June 2020

NORTH BERGEN SCIENCE ISSUE #15: 6-26-2020 _____________________ CONTENTS

Dr. Keshishian’s Message As we close out the 2019-2020 school year, I wanted to take the time to reflect on this school year. Throughout the year the Science Department had amazing accomplishments and even during one of the most unprecedented times in education we continued to give our students a thorough and efficient education.

We continued to enhance their scientific knowledge through the great partnerships that we have formed over the past five years.

Because of the unrelenting work of the teachers and the STEM Academy Committee, we are able to continue to grow and strive and I thank each and everyone of them for their dedication and support of the departmental endeavors. Thanks also goes to our Superintendent Dr. Solter and Director of Curriculum and Instruction Mr. Pascual, whose support makes all of this possible.

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Science Fair medals received ○ ○

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Visiting high school medalists Broadcom announcements from the middle schools Farewell to Cohort 2

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College Acceptances

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Welcoming Cohort 6 Virtually

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Mt. Olive Hack-a-thon

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Summer’s Still On ○

Home Science Kits ○

Saint Peter’s R.Y.S.C.E Scholars

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NJIT F.S.P and UNITE programs

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Rutgers SYSP Program

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FDU Petrocelli Summer Programs

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Lebanon Valley Bio Science

Hudson County Science Fair Medals

Research ○

It is with great pleasure that I announce the medalists for the 2019-2020 Hudson County Science Fair (STEM Showcase). As you may recall from the March’s newsletter, Mr. Jonathan Blaya received a gold medal for his work on self-perception using a personality test. Bethel Adewale with her study on the insanity plea defense and Michelle Carzola whose study was on the empathy quotient in STEM students vs. Humanities students received bronze medals. Finally, we had three bronze medals in the elementary division won by Rina Mintz, Grade 7, Robert Fulton School, Benjamin Diaz, Grade 7, Horace Mann School, and Lucas Rodriguez, Grade 8, Robert Fulton. Although there was no formal ceremony due to Covid, with the help of Ms.

Saint Peter’s SURGE Grant at-

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US Navy STEM

Spring Sprung! ○

FDU Saturday Graduations

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Stevens Institute of Technology Art Harper Saturday Academy

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Rutgers S.M.A.R.T. Graduation

Liberty Science Center Virtual classes

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NASA CCRI Closeout meeting

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College certificate programs picking back up in the fall

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Kay O’Maley coordinator of the Science Fair, the medals were mailed to Dr. Keshishian, and presented to the students. “It was amazing, even during this time, to honor our students whose studies were chosen for medals. However, I am so proud of every student who participated in the science fair, because it is a true testament to their dedication to present their study in a public forum. Congratulations again to Jonathan, Bethel, Michelle, Rina, Benjamin, and Lucas. We are all so proud of you” ~Dr. Jared Keshishian.

Mrs. Stern-Protz, Mrs. Blaya, Jonathan, Dr. Welz and Dr. Keshishian celebrate Jonathan’s Gold Medal

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Dr. Keshishian, Bethel, Mrs. Stern-Protz, Dr. Welz, and Mrs. Adewale

Dr. Welz, Bethel, Mr. Adewale, Mrs. Stern-Protz and Dr. Keshishian proudly stand to celebrate Bethel’s Bronze Medal

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Dr. Welz and Mrs. Stern-Protz celebrating Valedictorian Michelle Cazorla and her mother proudly wearing her Bronze Medal

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Congratulations to Middle School Science Superstars Benjamin Diaz and Rina Mintz!

On March 19th , North Bergen’s own Benjamin Diaz of Horace Mann School and Rina Mintz of Robert Fulton were chosen as participants to compete in the National Broadcom Masters Science Fair - a program of the Society for Science and the Public. Benjamin and Rita will be up against another 3,200 students from around the nation to vie for first prize in the contest.

The Broadcom Masters is the largest middle school science event in the country and draws students from over 40 states, Puerto Rico and US territories to present their research and experiments to prestigious judges from universities, organizations and high schools.

Benjamin’s project on all-natural potato starch adhesive vs. chemical-based glues, and Rina’s investigation into lefties vs. righties will be among others in this pivotal contest. Good luck and proud Bruins are rooting for you!

Benjamin Diaz and Benjamin’s mother Mrs. Diaz, with his Certificate and his super-team, Mr. Aguiar, Ms. Alonso and Mr. Tennaro

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STEM Cohort II Continuing their Journey After High School With heavy hearts as we prepare to say goodbye to our second cohort, The STEM Committee is reminded that, as educators, we never get to truly see our final product. Even though we guided and prepared our students for the past four years, they will continue their education without us. We are comforted in knowing that the time was worth the effort in the results of their outcomes for college, opportunities and scholarships.

We supported our students to help them succeed in their future endeavors because of the comprehensive personal education that they received through the STEM Academy. During this quarantine we held a virtual meeting during which the committee and guidance department learned of the students’ selections for their colleges, universities and careers. We could not be prouder of each and every one of them and we look forward to hearing from them as they progress through the next chapter of their lives.

STEM Seniors (and student family) braving the cold in New Haven, CT on a visit to Yale University.

Watch the video here

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COLLEGE ACCEPTANCES AND CAREER PLANS (In alphabetical order)

Service Year

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Welcoming Cohort VI Each year the Academy has a tradition of donning the incoming STEM students in lab coats.

While unfortunately this was not possible due to the stay at home order, the committee used a site called Pixton to ensure that our students were still able to have a group picture before they start their journey through the Academy as well as a virtual ceremony which can be viewed here.

“We are so excited to welcome the new Cohort. This year we have 21 students entering the Academy and they are an exceptional group of learners,” says Dr. Keshishian, District Supervisor of Science and STEM Academy Chair. “These students, like their predecessors, will be challenged in their academics and continue to participate in exceptional experiences to aid them in choosing their careers.”

The committee is extremely excited to close out our five year anniversary by sending off an amazing cohort to their future endeavors and welcoming this amazing cohort. Keep up with the #VI’ers by reading the future editions of our science newsletters.

Very special thanks to Dr. Krista Welz for introducing us to this fantastic Avatar program and comic book program!

Click the STEM Academy logo for video

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Virtual Hack-a-thon through Mt. Olive School District A team consisting of Alan Navarro and Mario Gonzalez Tapanes, along with Richard Villada and Daniel Martinez, participated in Mt. Olive Schools Districts Hackathon in which the teams were tasked with producing a code or developing something that could be used to reenter society amidst Covid-19. While the team fought the good fight, they were not successful in winning the Hackathon, but in the words of team captain Alan Navarro, “ We had a lot of fun, I got to spend time with the boys coding and it gave me a glimpse of many sleepless nights to come.� Thanks to Mount Olive for putting the Hackathon together, and we are proud of the team for participating in a great event.

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING AT STEM ACADEMY AND SCIENCE CONTINUED DURING THE LOCKDOWN AND WILL BE OFFERED INTO THE SUMMER...A SNEAK PEEK One year ago, we would have thought that all education being presented online was impossible.

Yet here we are, in the midst of COVID-19, with the majority of education in the United States being delivered via Google, Zoom, Microsoft, and a host of other virtual platforms.

For our teachers, this has challenged us all in ways we did not expect and, to the credit of many, teachers rose above and beyond the call of duty to continue to educate students in order to finish the year and provide them with the ability to move on to the next level.

In Experiential Learning, the challenge is altogether different. We rely on so many of our university and organizational partners to work in concert with us to provide on-campus events and programs so that the students get the college experience during their high school years. Mrs. Stern-Protz has worked with all of our partners and we will highlight them in this section.

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STEM Continues into Summer

Our incoming Cohort VI, along with other Cohort students and North Bergen High School students are taking advantage of a wonderful science investigation put together under the SURGE Grant. From Saint Peter’s website: “SURGE (STEM Undergraduate Retention Graduation and Empowerment), a $3.8 million initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Education through the Hispanic-Serving Institutions STEM Program. The five-year grant—the largest awarded in University history—will support high-impact teaching and learning, establish and renovate facilities and provide more resources and opportunities for student success.” (https://www.saintpeters.edu/news/2017/04/04/surge-forstem/) Through the generosity of Saint Peter’s and the incredibly hard work of Dr. Brandy GarrettKluthe, Mrs. Stern-Protz picked up about 70 science-at-home kits. Along with Mrs. Hojnowski, we gave them out to our students using “contactless” and “social distancing” measures.

Dr. Keshishian and Mr. Locricchio were on-hand nearby to make sure everything went smoothly. Mr. Locricchio states, “Saint Peter’s University has been very proactive in helping our students with experiential learning at little to no cost for the past three summers. In this time of COVID and our students staying safely at home, being able to get their hands on authentic scientific investigation is what we need. We are pleased that so many of our North Bergen students attend Saint Peter’s and this one of the many reasons why.”

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Everyone staying at a safe distance

Dr. Keshishian with Mrs. Stern Jeremy and Bryan

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Picking up kits on a rainy day

Omar A’s experiment

Abigail V.

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More from the at-home labs!

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R.Y.S.C.E. SCHOLARS The STEM Academy congratulates students Kevin G., Gabriel R., Ashley C., Amy A., Jeremy E., Salsabeel K., Angie R., Bryan G., Natalie M., and Aimee P. on their acceptance to the RYSCE/Noyce Scholars STEM Summer Program. The RYSCE Summer Scholars program allows students to work on week-long investigative research projects, while preparing Saint Peter’s undergraduate students as the next pre-teacher generation of math, science, engineering and technology when they lead the high school students in advanced research skills.

“The RYSCE/Noyce program is a win-win for North Bergen STEM students, and we are grateful to the hard work of Dr. Garrett-Kluthe, Dr. Hammett, and the entire team of High School Outreach at Saint Peter’s.” - Dr. Keshishian

UNITE AND FPS The New Jersey Institute of Technology has been a supportive partner of STEM Academy and North Bergen High School since STEM’s inception. Each summer, our students benefit from NJIT Saturday and summer programs. This summer, our own Ohla B., Amy A., and Vimbisai B. will all be taking courses in computer science and physics with the university’s superb faculty in the sciences and STEM fields.

In addition to this, NJIT will now have another fantastic North Bergen STEM student to add to its freshman rosters. We have students in mechanical, electrical, and now computer science engineering. We are hopeful this tradition continues into the future!

“NJIT is a valuable partner in both year-long and summer programs. These programs are a real game-changer for our students because they keep students engaged and interested in STEM careers ahead.” - Stephanie Stern-Protz

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RUTGERS SYSP and Summer Pre-College This summer will be very exciting for students Laisha M. and Ariel C. Both students finished the Rutgers S.M.A.R.T. program in the spring (more on that later on in the newsletter), and vied for a paid internship with the Rutgers’ Hispanic Center of Excellence Summer Youth Scholars Program (SYSP). The students will be studying for full days online virtually, and will focus on medical practices. From the Rutgers’ site: “During this six week period, students are exposed to SAT preparation, anatomy & physiology instruction, participation in a research presentation, visits to colleges and exposure to the practice of medicine. Career counseling and skills development are also provided for program participants to ensure academic success.” http://njms.rutgers.edu/education/hcoe/sysp.cfm Special thanks go to Mrs. Mercedes Padilla for all of her hard work in keeping these programs running.

FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON UNIVERSITY Fairleigh Dickinson University offers summer credit courses for both high school and middle school students in their pre-college offerings through the Petrocelli College. These range from Artificial Intelligence to Videography to Wall Street. Our own Mia Z., Ashley M., and Camila M. will be taking part in the courses! Stick around for more on FDU Saturday graduations coming up.

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LEBANON VALLEY COLLEGE Lebanon Valley College’s Biomedical Research Summer Program has been in our “summer family” since the inception of the Academy. Their generosity has proven to be a factor of success for our students with our class Valedictorian and Salutatorian having attended their summers at the program. The program is now virtual, and our latest addition of Aimee P. as the scholarship recipient will continue a treasure of opportunities for our students.

NAVAL ACADEMY STEM WEEK INTENSIVE The Navy’s STEM Summer Program for high school students is a one-week intensive program that builds character and focuses on discipline and research. We are grateful to the NAVY at Annapolis for offering this to our students. Last year’s scholarship recipient is now going to study Civil Engineering at Stevens, and this year’s student participant is a wonderful rising sophomore Emma R. Although the program was regretfully cancelled due to COVID, we are rooting for her trip to Annapolis next year!

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SPRING SPRANG IN EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING

FDU has been the recipient of several STEM Academy and STEM program student graduates who decided it was the college for them to study Engineering, Computer Science and Medicine.

We are pleased that Fairleigh Dickinson’s generous sponsors continue to fund their Saturday Outreach learning experiences that benefit our North Bergen High School and STEM Academy students. This spring, during COVID, as we all worried about how we were ever going to continue enriching and creating unique educational explorations, FDU Zoom and Microsoft stepped up together to create virtual engineering spaces for our learners.

Dr. Chen of the Gildart Haase School of Engineering at FDU, presents the benefits of an engineering foundation for future innovators. Mrs. Stern-Protz is above, and Dr. Keshishian made opening and closing remarks at the certificate graduation ceremony.

Some of the STEM Academy students were given honors during the graduations. Sarai M., STEM Academy rising junior was one of the three speakers during the CSEOP (Cyber security) graduation, Iris G. and Salsabeel K. were first place and third place in the virtual bridge structural integrity test, and Youssef EM. was showcased in the META (Math Enrichment) presentation of the Seven Bridges of Königsberg challenge.

Thank you FDU for all you accomplished this year, with special thanks to Dr. Tan, Dean of Engineering, Dr. Gillian Small, Provost of FDU, Mark Robertson, Professor Lewis, Professor Chen, Dr. Casti, Dr. Huddy, Dr. Farag, Dr. Mondal, Dr. Mao, Dr. Erde, and Mark Robertson, Gildert Haase’s new Coordinator of Outreach.

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This year, Stevens Institute of Technology launched the Art Harper Saturday Academy for underrepresented students to help them in their quest for engineering and STEM fields. The Academy met on designated Saturdays to conduct field testing and experiments in the water quality along the Hudson River, used the data to work on math, and had math and science classes to enrich and inform students working toward their goals. The Academy taught students from all over the region, and our own Jennifer S. took part and had a great time. She graduated giving a wonderful presentation to the panel, including renowned guest speakers. Jennifer here with Edlyn Thompson-Mettle (pre-COVID)

Each year, Rutgers University Medical School, along with numerous partnerships, runs the S.M.A.R.T. (Science, Medicine and Related Topics) for students who wish to study health careers. The program is highly competitive, and we at North Bergen High School and North Bergen STEM Academy are privileged to send our students from January through March during the Spring semester. COVID may have truncated the in-person lab sessions, but it did not deter the students from completing their program.

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Liberty Science Center Thanks to the amazing work of Ms. Mary McDonald, Liberty Science Center produced an amazing set of virtual field trips for our students from grades 3 -12 and professional development for our teachers. It was truly an amazing experience that gave our students an opportunity to have a little escape during the lockdown. The virtual field trips included Wonders of the Night Sky, Simple Machines Part 2 Catapult, June Sky Tour, and many more. The students and faculty of North Bergen School District want to thank the Liberty Science Center for their support during these unprecedented times.

NASA CCRI Closeout Meeting Dr. Keshishian and Mrs. Stern-Protz were part of a group of teachers from the New York Metro region participating in the 2019-2020 end-year NASA CCRI (Climate Change Research Initiative) meeting. Matt Pearce, NASA’s Education Specialist in the New York area, asked Dr. Keshishian to address the teachers present and Dr. K discussed the many successes that the North Bergen STEM Academy and school district have enjoyed over the years as a partner school to the program.

Mrs. Stern-Protz, a NASA CCRI Education Ambassador, was able to draw relationships between NASA’s involvement in North Bergen since 2014, but especially via the NASA/North Bergen STEM Initiative (NBSI) from the 2016-2017 year, with programs that are currently in place. For 2021-2022 and beyond, Dr. Keshishian and Mrs. Stern-Protz will continue to work with this vital partnership and build even more opportunities for our students to benefit from this.

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Special Thanks THANKS TO Mayor Nicholas J. Sacco Dr. George Solter, Jr. The North Bergen Board of Education Mr. Richard Locricchio, Principal of North Bergen High School The STEM Academy Committee Art Harper Program Azusa University Caldwell University Cornell University Drexel University Fairleigh Dickinson University Felecian University HMH Palisades Medical Center Howard University Hudson County Science Fair Broadcom Liberty Science Center Manhattan College Montclair State University Mrs. Nancy Hovan

NASA Langley Space Center NASA Goddard CCRI, New York City NB District Science Department New Jersey City University New Jersey Institute of Technology New York Technical Institute Northeastern University Princeton University Ramapo College Rochester Institute of Technology Rutgers University Saint Peter’s University Seton Hall University Stevens Institute of Technology The College of New Jersey The Cooper Union Vassar College W.E.B. DuBois Program Yale University

We are grateful for, and always seeking donations and partner projects from universities, companies and organizations. Feel free to contact: Dr. Jared Keshishian at jkeshishian3@northbergen.k12.nj.us and/or Stephanie Stern-Protz at sstern@northbergen.k12.nj.us.

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