For years, the Westinghouse Science Competition was the most highly publicized science contest in the nation. In 1999, however, the Westinghouse Corporation discontinued its sponsorship and the Intel Corporation took it over, renaming it the Intel Science Talent Search. More recently, in 2000, the Siemen's Corporation inaugurated a new science contest to be known as the "Siemen's Westinghouse Competition." As a result, today's gifted and motivated high school students have the opportunity to enter two prestigious competitions and vie for honors and awards. Both competitions are nationwide in scope and intensively competitive.

The good news is that Garden City High School students have been named semifinalists in both competitions. Alison Schroeder was named a Siemen's Westinghouse Competition semifinalist in October 2001. Lisa Catalano was named an Intel Science Talent Search Competition semifinalist last month. Both Schroeder and Catalano are enrolled in the high school's Science Research Program, directed by Dr. Barbara Bergman.

Each student's winning contest entry was the culmination of months of painstaking effort and demonstrates a deep commitment to demanding scientific research. The actual research is just one facet of the journey toward entry into these science competitions. Before research can begin, the student must spend a significant amount of time learning laboratory techniques and protocols. Other facets of contest preparation include working with a mentor, doing the research, collecting data, analyzing results, writing project abstracts and a complete research paper.

Schroeder worked during the summer at Michigan State University. She sequenced a canine chromosome that is very similar to the human chromosome that carries a gene for narcolepsy. To do her studies, Schroeder used several advanced laboratory techniques such as radiation hybridization mapping and linkage analysis.

The Town of Hempstead honored Schroeder, along with two seniors from the Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls in Hewlett Bay Park, during its Jan. 29 town board meeting. Town of Hemsptead Supervisor Rich Guardino said he was pleased to have the opportunity to honor Schroeder's hard work and demonstrated talent. "The research these three young women did is extraordinary," he said.

Councilman Joe Kearney added, "We have such an extraordinary amount of talent in the Town of Hempstead and having three students reaching a high level in a national competition clearly evidences the fact."

Catalano worked for more than a year with scientists at Adelphi University doing research on the AIDS virus. The goal of her research project was to test the properties of a transgenic construct of the AIDS virus that was not infectious to humans.

Both of their achievements enable Schroeder and Catalano to join the ranks of Garden City High School students who have garnered awards in these prestigious competitions in the past. These ranks include the following Westinghouse/Intel semifinalists: Susan Kim (1988), Louise Costa and Barbara Kennedy (1989), Rachel Lee (1991), Tara Adamovich and Eric Uyguanco (1992), Kyle Smith and Christina Costa (1998) and Tim Cha (1999). Barbara Kennedy is now a math teacher in the Garden City schools. The list of winners supports the statement by Aristotle that "Excellence is not a singular event."