Mineola, NY - December 23, 2015 - Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano commended the best and brightest students in the field of Math, Science and Technology at a ceremony held in the Theodore Roosevelt Executive and Legislative Building. The students were all competitors in the Siemens Competition, the nation’s premier research competition for high school students. Manhasset High School seniors and teammates Kimberly Te and Christine Yoo will share the $100,000 Grand Prize in the Team category for their project on a more natural and cost-effective way to clean oil spills.
The Manhasset team engineered a device made of natural, sustainable materials that cleans up oil-polluted areas, and uses the otherwise unusable oil to generate clean energy to be used to power remote sensors. Kimberly and Christine had previously studied the biological effects of pollution on organisms and wanted to focus their research on cleaning up pollutants, specifically oil. They devised an efficient and cost effective device that could degrade hydrocarbons, while also producing electricity by using a loath sponge.
“Kimberly and Christine's research project and their national win are examples of the importance Nassau County’s public school system plays in investing in our children’s education. Our school systems succeed in educating and preparing our children for successful futures. I congratulate all the Finalists and Winners of the Siemens Competition,” remarked County Executive Mangano.
In addition to Nassau County students winning the grand prize in the team category, six Nassau County students were named Finalists in the competition, an honor in itself. To learn more about the Siemen’s Competition visit online.