On Tuesday, May 27, Garden City High hosted an array of student research projects at its annual Science Symposium - the culmination of students' work throughout the school year. Dr. Steven Gordon, Garden City's science research coordinator, says the national focus on S.T.E.M. (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) has spurred more interest in science, and higher achievements. He explained the role of research from Garden City on up.

"The science research program is important in preparing students for STEM careers - it's very useful. We hear this from students who've gone off to college, and we learn how accelerated our students were compared to their peers in college. Many of our current students entered their work in local, regional, and national competitions. This is their opportunity to present to parents, other students who might be interested in the program, and the larger Garden City community," Gordon said.

Dr. Gordon noted that 87 high school students participated with projects, the highest number ever for the district. With such high student involvement parents were enthusiastic about seeing the presentations as well, as about 200 people including the school administration were in attendance. Garden City's school board also witnessed the district's latest science research, as Board President Barbara Trapasso, Vice President Angela Heineman and Board Member Robert Martin attended and applauded the work on display. Statistical data, published scholarly articles, and bio-medical graphics lined the high school library from wall to wall with each project.

According to Gordon, many of the projects students completed this year were done at the high school. In previous years the science research program had a lot of projects conducted at outside laboratories.

"We still have those going on, but we're doing a lot more in-house research now," he said.

Dr. Elena Cascio, Garden City's science curriculum coordinator for grades 6 through 12, said she was impressed with the variety of projects the students selected for research this year. The opportunity to dive in-depth into science created a wide playing field.

"Every student at every level and with every interest will find something to do. We saw behavioral projects, genetics, physics, and engineering - from the highest levels of sophistication to the very simple, everyday life functions. Parents were really engaged and asking questions about what the kids are doing," she said.

Cascio says that many students in high school science classes are unsure of the subject matter and what they want to learn in each class. As she has guided several students, she understood their individual learning curves. Some of the students that presented project Tuesday night were not accelerated in middle school classes. Cascio says the real value in Garden City's science research program is reaching the students who didn't feel connected to science until high school.

She believes D. Gordon's program changes things, and in general science research projects hold the potential to alter perspectives and become a driver of the students' ambitions.

"With research, they will be motivated to take other science courses such AP Environmental Science, AP Biology, or others that they would not even consider taking if there was no research program because they developed a new, personal interest now. They aren't just interested in science, they become advanced in science," Cascio said.

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Garden City showcases science at annual symposium