Garden City HS concludes a year of outstanding scientific student achievement with annual symposium
Garden City High School held its 20th annual Science Research Symposium on May 26, showcasing the creativity, research skills and dedication of more than 100 students in grades 9-12.
The evening began with a poster session in which students presented their research projects and explained the scientific methods used to investigate their questions. Topics ranged from junior Amanat Jain’s award-winning project, “The Neurocognitive and Social Impact of Accent Familiarity: An Investigation into Memory Recall and Perceptual Bias,” to Chemagination-winning projects by freshmen proposing innovative solid-state batteries for cars.
This year’s program was highlighted by top honors at the International Science and Engineering Fair, the New York State Science and Engineering Fair, Long Island Science and Engineering Fair, the Long Island Science Congress and the grades 9-10 research fair at Molloy University.
At ISEF in Phoenix, Amanat earned a Special Award from the American Psychological Association as well as a fourth-place Grand Award, marking Garden City High School’s first Grand Award in the Behavioral Science category. The recognition placed her work among the top projects in the world for 2026.
Junior Taylor Maguire also earned recognition for her project, “Dragon Gel: Exploring the Capabilities of a Dragon Fruit-Infused Wound Healing Hydrogel in the Mitigation of Oxidative Stress,” which was conducted entirely in the school’s science research laboratory. The project received Highest Honors at the Long Island Science Congress and advanced to the New York State fair this June.
Following the poster session, seniors were recognized for their years of commitment to the Science Research program. Students reflected on memorable experiences including competitions at the Cradle of Aviation Museum, participation in the Medical Marvels and Chemagination competitions, and the relationships they built with teachers and peers. Seniors also shared their future plans, with many pursuing majors in medicine, biochemistry, engineering and other scientific fields.
“Thank you to Superintendent Dr. Kusum Sinha, high school principal Kevin Steingruebner, K-12 science coordinator Joanna Rogosich, parents and guests for supporting our students at the Science Research Symposium,” said science research teachers Dr. Steven Gordon and Dr. Meredith Foley. “We are so proud of the passion, innovation and dedication demonstrated by our students throughout the year, and it made this milestone 20th symposium especially meaningful and inspiring.”