Garden City Student Accepted Into Prestigious Science Program

GARDEN CITY, NY — Garden City High School junior James Nagler was accepted into the Research Science Institute at the Manhattan Institute of Technology — a select program offered to only a handful of students around the country.

The Research Science Institute takes place at MIT each summer. While many students apply, only 100 highly accomplished high school students are accepted into the program. There, they gather for a science and engineering program that combines on-campus course work in scientific theory with off-campus work in science and technology research.

Participants take STEM classes with renowned professors then conduct individual projects with their guidance. They’re given the opportunity to read the most current literature in the field, draft and execute a detailed research plan, and deliver a conference-style oral and written report on their findings.

Already, Nagler has amassed many great science-related achievements. Last year, he took home the first-place award in the embedded systems category at the International Science and Engineering Fair with a project on helping the blind using a pair of glasses that could recognize objects in the distance and communicate that to the person. He was also the winner of the districtwide Congressional App Challenge.

“I’m really excited. It’s a wonderful opportunity not only for me to stay on the MIT campus but to work with the professors, these brilliant minds that I get to experience,” Nagler said.

Nagler's high school science teacher of three years, Steven Gordon said, “This is a recognition of the exceptional work that James has accomplished throughout middle school and high school. He’s done a tremendous amount of work and is a standout student in the sciences. James is an independent and brilliant student, and I congratulate him on this prestigious accomplishment.”