Half Hollow Hills Siemens Winners Receive Proclamations

Three Half Hollow Hills students who won top honors in the prestigious Siemens Competition were recently honored by local officials.

The Siemens Competition is the nation’s premier research competition in math, science and technology for high school students. Juniors Arooba Ahmed, Jiachen Lee and Jillian Parker also received a $100,000 scholarship that they will share.

“These outstanding young women completed a research project into CCDC11, a protein involved in cell division, with the potential to stop the spread of cancer, viruses such as HIV and neurological disorders including Alzheimer’s, autism and ALS,” Legis. Susan Berland said in a press release.

The students were presented County Proclamations and were recognized by educators and officials in the community at the Fran Greenspan Administration Building in Dix Hills on Monday, Jan. 8. Also honored were Michael Lake, their HHH advisor and Dr. Ken-Ichi Takemaru, who oversaw their research at Stony Brook University.

“Winning the Siemens competition is the high school equivalent of receiving a Nobel or Pulitzer Prize and puts these outstanding young scientists in an infinitesimally elite group of dedicated, driven and intellectually gifted students,” Legis. Tom Donnelly said in a press release. “Wherever their futures take them – and I have no doubt that it will be very far – they will forever be distinguished as National Siemens winners.”

Image via Office of Suffolk County Legislator Tom Donnelly