Global Honors for 9 Genius Olympiad Finalists
New Rochelle High School’s esteemed Science Research Program has done it again – and this time, the recognition is global!
The latest round of awards go to students selected as finalists in the Genius Olympiad, which welcomes submissions from all over the world:
- Izzy Balachandran
- Anthony D’Amato
- Ella Harshman
- Natalia McMorris
- Andy Nunez
- Andrew Rittenberg
- Aviva Segal
- Julia Yang
Those students will join Anna Barlis, who qualified as a finalist via her previous grand-prize win at the Westchester Science & Engineering Fair.
“Our outstanding science research students continue to excel, this time showcasing their scientific talents on a worldwide stage,” said Jeff Wuebber, director of the Science Research Program.
Students were similarly thrilled.
•McMorris: “Being a Genius Olympiad finalist is the perfect end to my time in science research. All of my hard work for the past three years has paid off and I am grateful for the opportunity to display my hard work!”
•Nunez: “As a finalist from last year, I’m extremely grateful and excited to be a finalist again this year!”
•Rittenberg: “I’m so glad that I was chosen as a finalist for Genius Olympiad and feel so thankful that I was able to get the guidance and help that I needed from Mr. Wuebber to push me the extra steps to work hard and place as a finalist. The Science Research Program at the high school has really enabled me to do my best work and I’m super proud of myself and my fellow classmates who also placed. I’m excited to see what the future holds for us as a young generation of scientists!”
•Segal: “It’s an incredible honor to be selected to compete in such a prestigious competition, and I’m so excited to present my project. The horseshoe crab is such an important organism, so I am thrilled to be able to promote its significance at this competition. Its population decline as a result of anthropogenic activities is a major problem that impacts both its ecosystem and human health. Understanding this issue is critical to conserving the horseshoe crab population, and I’m so excited to have the opportunity to raise awareness through this competition.”
•Yang: “I’m excited and thankful to have been chosen as a finalist!”
Projects were submitted from 57 countries and 35 states — and New Rochelle High School had the sixth-highest number of projects submitted from all high schools on the planet. The Olympiad is held virtually, and winners receive scholarships. Final winners are announced on June 18.
The Genius Olympiad promotes global understanding of environmental issues and the achievement of sustainability through basic science, arts, creative writing, engineering, design, and business development. The competition instills skills and knowledge to be the leaders, scientists, artists, writers, engineers, and policy makers of the future. GENIUS is an abbreviation of Global Environmental Issues and Us, and the contest is sponsored by the Rochester Institute of Technology and Terra Science and Education, a nonprofit organization that advances education. Learn more at GeniusOlympiad.org.
