3 Levittown High-Schoolers Recognized For Excellence In Science

LEVITTOWN, NY — Three Levittown high-schoolers were recently honored for the accomplishments in science. Neither the summer nor the coronavirus pandemic could slow down General Douglas MacArthur High School senior Emily Zhang, junior Summer Looney and sophomore Natalia Pszeniczny. The trio was recognized by different organizations for their exceptional research skills.

Zhang spent her summer working remotely at the Garcia Center for Polymers at Engineered Interfaces at Stony Brook University. Along with students from across the globe, she researched about graphene oxide coated anion exchange membrane fuel cells. On Sept. 23, her abstract, titled "Effect of pH on the Shear Modulus of Anion Exchange Membranes," was accepted to the Materials Research Society's annual conference. She was also a member of a group that prepared an abstract regarding ethical considerations in response to COVID-19.

Looney's peer-reviewed research paper, "Public Awareness and Support of Town of Hempstead Preserves and Nature Areas," was published by Middle States Geographers. The research was part of a project for the Long Island Youth Summit and was subsequently presented at the American Association of Geographers’ meeting.

Pszeniczny was a finalist in the Stony Brook Young Investigators Review’s 2020 Young Investigators Writing Competition. She was declared the winner in the 10th grade environmental science category, and her work will be published in the Fall 2020 Stony Brook Young Investigators Review.

Levittown Public Schools congratulated all three students on their outstanding achievements.

This article originally appeared on the Levittown Patch