Highlights

Other Highlights:

2020-2021

CB West STEM Research Club

PA Biotechnology Partnership Program

This was the inaugural year of the STEM Research Club at Central Bucks High School South. In its first year, even with a competition season shortened by COVID-19 closures, club members registered one of the most successful years recorded by any club at any school.

Members engaged in student-driven research projects in STEM fields and were responsible for:

• researching and brainstorming topics

• crafting formal research plans

• completing paperwork and securing approval from parents, advisers, mentors, etc.

• collecting data and/or creating/engineering/proving something

• analyzing results

• creating and presenting research products.

We enjoy tremendous support from our school, district, and community. Unfortunately, we cannot list the name of every individual who makes our work possible, but we did want to extend a special thanks to the following individuals and organizations:

• Mark Hayden, Adviser
• Gerard Michaud, PhD, Community Consultant
• Lauren McNelis, Statistics Consultant
• Patrick Wheeles, Statistics Consultant
• Erika Gamble, Tamanend Middle School
• Marissa Nagle, Tamanend Middle School
• Michele Schamp, Administrative Support
• Jane Scott, Administrative Support
• Antonella Defusco, Administrative Support
• Jason Bucher, CB South Principal
• Steven Willis, CBSD Supervisor of Science, K-12
• Abram M. Lucabaugh, Ed.D, CBSD Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Education
• Alexis McGloin, Ed.D, CBSD Assistant Superintendent for Assessment
• John J. Kopicki, Ed.D, CBSD Superintendent of Schools
• John Gamble and Members of the CBSD School Board
• Kimberly Cambra, Nancy Santacecilia, and the CB Cares Educational Foundation
• Timothy Block, PhD, President,
  Hepatitis B Foundation, Baruch S Blumberg Institute, PA Biotechnology Center
• Lou Kassa, Executive Vice President and COO,
  Hepatitis B Foundation, Baruch S Blumberg Institute, PA Biotechnology Center
• John Kulp, PhD, Director of Academic Affairs, Baruch S. Blumberg Institute

Mentors and Supervisors (**Denotes at least five years of involvement)

• Ngee Sing Chong, PhD, Middle Tennessee State University
• Brielle Dalvano, PA Biotechnology Center
• Wei Guo, PhD, Oriental Yuhong North American
• Mark Hayden, Central Bucks School District**
• Cynthia Keler, PhD, Delaware Valley University**
• John Kulp, PhD, PA Biotechnology Center**
• Steven May, PhD, Drexel University**
• Aejaz Sayeed, PhD, PA Biotechnology Center
• David Schad, PA Biotechnology Center
• Yong Shi, PhD, Stevens Institute of Technology
• Darl Swartz, PhD,**
  BSBI/Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine/Thomas Jefferson/Temple/TCNJ
• Roshan Thapa, MD, PA Biotechnology Center
• Srivanya Tummala, Merck & Co.
  

2020-2021 Spring Kick-Off Virtual Meeting

When? Wednesday, May 27 @ 3:30PM

How? This is a virtual meeting via Microsoft Teams.

Existing members should have already received an email invite to their CBSD email address. This invitation can and should be forwarded to other interested students, especially rising sophomores.

Interested students may email Mr. Hayden (mhayden@cbsd.org) or email a STEM Leadership Council Member (below).

To join our contact list or for more information:
http://bit.ly/SouthSTEM-kickoff

• 18/20 (90%) earned first awards at Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science (PJAS) Regionals, earning invitation to state competition at Penn State University
  
  
• Two (2) perfect scores (Glenda Armas and Oreoluwa Popoola) at PJAS Regionals
  
  
• 14/20 (70%) earned category awards at Bucks County Science Research Competition (BCSRC), with 12/20 (60%) advancing to the next level of competition
  
  
• Seven (7) special awards at BCSRC, including the top award offered (Isabella Swartz)
  
  
• Two (2) first place awards (Srikar Yelamarthy and Mehir Badlani), two (2) second place awards (Erin Greer and Shreyas Ramkumar), and one (1) honorable mention award (Klement Swartz) at the prestigious Delaware Valley Science Fair (DVSF), an invite-only event that welcomes students from the entire State of Delaware, the lower-half of New Jersey, and all of Southeastern Pennsylvania

This year, we were grateful to receive a grant from the CB Cares Educational Foundation. The very generous grant for nearly $3000 allowed us to purchase a plotter, paper, and ink for printing our research posters. More information about CB Cares Grants can be found here.

Epigenetic Regulation of TMEM173 Transcription in Cancer Cell Lines

• 1st Award, PJAS Regionals
• Darlene Jones Award, BCSRC (Top Special Award at event)

A protein that promotes your body's immune response to different "invaders"--the STING protein--is not expressed when infected by certain "invaders". One possible reason for this protein being "turned off" is that the gene coding for it is epigenetically controlled through a process called methylation. Using big data and research methods, I am investigating whether epigenetics are behind this "turning off" of the STING protein.

Isabella, a STEM Leadership Council Member and Co-Founder of the club, is a graduating senior who will study molecular biology at Princeton University.

Cellular Senescence Drug Discovery Through Thermal Shift Protein Assay Analysis

• 1st Award, PJAS Regionals
• In addition to her research, Miranda has also started a related company.

I am looking to find an anti-aging/anti-cancer drug that inhibits a protein in the body. I am using a two-part method approach, first using computer simulations to determine the favorable drug candidates, and now I am working to make samples of the protein to be used in the wet lab testing and to test whether the favorable candidates bind in real-world testing.

Miranda, a STEM Leadership Council Member and Co-Founder of the club, is a graduating senior who will be attending the University of Maryland College Park as a Banneker/Key Full-Ride Scholar. She is enrolled in the Honors College- Advanced Cybersecurity Experience for Students (ACES) and will be majoring in computer science with a double minor in statistics and entrepreneurship.

Determining a Protein Biomarker as a Diagnostic Tool for Liver Cancer

• 1st Award, PJAS Regionals
• 3rd Place, Microbiology, BCSRC
• 2nd Place, Microbiology, DVSF

Heptocellular Carcinoma (HCC) affects millions. The treatments we do have are most effective in earlier stages, so I focused on finding an noninvasive diagnostic tool to prematurely diagnose HCC. I collected exosomes, materials that cells release naturally, and compared the presence of proteins in cancerous exosomes and noncancerous exosomes. My goal was to find a protein that would signify a liver cell has HCC to help diagnose the disease early.

Erin is a graduating senior who will be attending the University of Pittsburgh. She will be a biology major with a focus on pre-med.

Bioremediation of Nitrogen Pollution Using Pseudomonas aeruginosa

• 1st Award, PJAS Regionals
• 1st Place, Environmental Science, BCSRC
• Mayor Strouse Environmental Award, BCSRC
• 1st Place, Environmental Science, DVSF

Aquatic environments around the country have been facing a problem with nitrogen pollution. Nitrates buildup in the waterways due to runoff, and the resulting nutrient excess leads to algal blooms, which are harmful growths of algae. To solve this, and prevent the blooms from growing, I looked into using bacteria that can convert nitrates into gas and therefore remove them from the water. This is what Pseudomonas aeruginosa can do: denitrification, concerting nitrate into gas. I wanted to know if this ability could be used to prevent and stop nitrogen pollution, and in turn, stop algal blooms.

Srikar is a graduating senior who will be attending the University of Pittsburgh, where he plans to study neuroscience on a pre-med track. Srikar intends to pursue a career as a surgeon.

Analysis of Surface Level Carbon Dioxide Concentration and pH Around the Globe Using Statistical Data

• 1st Award, PJAS Regionals
• 1st Place, Earth & Space Science, BCSRC
• 1st Place, Earth & Space Science, DVSF

My research may allow us to better understand and study correlations between carbon dioxide and other factors in varying marine ecosystems. It involves the use of Fathom to study data from NOAA that comes from open water, coastline, and coral buoys.

Methods to Detect the Body’s Postural Compensations During Recovery from a Back Injury

• 1st Award, PJAS Regionals
• 1st Place, Medicine and Health, BCSRC
• Baruch S. Blumberg High School Science Award, BCSRC
• 2nd Place, Medicine and Health, DVSF

During the recovery of a back injury, the body compensates by using other muscles to account for the injury. This coping mechanism affects the person’s walking and standing posture. This change in posture can lead to greater harm in later life. Measuring the weight distribution among the two feet can be a helpful indicator of bad posture and the extent of posture compensation. I programmed sensors for use in the soles of shoes for this purpose. My ultimate goal is to determine whether there is a correlation between a person's weight distribution among their feet and a history of posture-related problems.

Rising juniors and seniors must apply by Friday, June 5.
Rising sophomores will have the opportunity to apply in the fall.

Details are available at:
https://bit.ly/STEMLeadershipResponsibilities