LBHS Team Earn 2nd-Place Grand Award in Intel ISEF Competition

For the second year in a row, the Long Beach High School team of Arianne Papa and Jane Smyth, both seniors, earned a second-place grand award in Environmental Sciences at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), held this year from May 14-18 in Pittsburgh.

The pair also walked away with first-place awards from the American Veterinary Medical Association and the Consortium for Ocean Leadership, earning a total of $5,500 in prize money. This is the third consecutive year that the duo qualified for the prestigious ISEF competition. Arianne and Jane’s research focused on water pollution in Reynolds Channel as well as other Long Island bays, and the effect that pollution has on the flounder populations in those waterways.

Joining them at the competition were fellow science research students Zachary Klein and Andrew Hurst, also seniors. Their research enabled them to create a wind turbine that captures both wind and solar energy in order to improve its energy efficiency. All four students worked under the supervision of science research teacher Veronica Ade, who accompanied them to Pittsburgh for the weeklong competition.

Intel ISEF is recognized as the premier science competition in the world, exclusively for students in grades 9-12. All four students qualified for this honor by earning first-place awards at state and local science competitions