“She formed a family of scientists here that she bonded together with, and they excelled together,” Frank said.

In addition to her win at LISEF, Giovino recently received an Intel Science Research Badge for her thesis paper. She is vice president of Kennedy’s science club and a competitor on the Science Olympiad team, as well as co-president of Tutors for a Cure, which raises money for cancer research by offering tutoring services.

Giovino is still deciding where she will attend college in the fall. She has no doubt, though, that she will be studying science, majoring in either neurology or psychology.

And for her there is one very big benefit to participating in the ASR program: Memorial Sloan-Kettering has invited her back to continue her research this summer –– this time, in a paid position.