Tops at the Science Fair

The first time turned out to be a charm for Kendall Stedman and Samantha Prince, two middle school students from the Montauk School. They were the first middle school students ever to be entered by Joe Malave, the school’s science teacher, in the Long Island Science Congress regional science fair, which this year was held on April 21 at the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City.

Kendall took first place and received the Highest Honor With Distinction award in behavioral sciences in the seventh-grade division. Her project was on music and memory, and the win allows her to advance to the New York State Science Congress competition, which will take place at Brookhaven National Laboratory on May 30.

Last year, as a sixth grader, Kendall won her division at a regional science fair at the lab for her research on how different types of music can affect one’s mood.

Samantha competed with other seventh graders in the chemistry division, which earned her a High Honor distinction, but, alas, not a spot in the May contest. In a project she called “Glucose, Sucrose, and Fructose, Oh My!” she researched the effects of various sweeteners on diabetes patients with hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia.

Other Montauk students who competed were Thomas Desmond, who earned an achievement award, and Thor Botero, Luke Tyrell, and Ramses Jimenez, all of whom earned meritorious awards.

To qualify for the regional science fairs, a student must have finished in the top three at his or her own school’s science fair. Only 40 projects are eligible to make it into the New York State Science Congress, said Mr. Malave. “So Kendall’s achievement is significant,” he said.