HHS science teacher proves he’s a top-notch researcher

Though many might remember Mary Shelley's classic "Frankenstein" as a horror story, Dr. Terrence Bissoondial, a teacher at Hewlett High School, picked up on its creation theme, and from there chose genetics as a career path.

"I had the right teachers," said the 15-year veteran educator, who has spent a decade at Hewlett. "I loved the idea of creating, and knew immediately I would go into genetics."

Exploring the creation of new things, and helping the high school's in-house science research program produce the most Siemens Science Competition semifinalists in the nation — 31 in the past two school years -- has earned Bissoondial a unique distinction: He was one of only 20 teachers nationwide selected to participate in the Siemens Teachers As Researchers, or STAR, program, last month.

"Teachers across the country like Dr. Terrence Bissoondial are champions for learning, encouraging students to embrace science and all the possibilities it brings to their lives," said Jeniffer Harper-Taylor, president of the Siemens Foundation.

The two-week-long, in-residence professional development program at the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee gave Bissoondial, who teaches science research and environmental science, the chance to do some collaborative research on the development of the soybean hull as a potential biofuel source — specifically as a source of ethanol.

"The soybean is excellent, as there isn't a lot of pre-treatment," explained Bissoondial, noting that cost-effectiveness is one of the primary reasons that scientists are exploring the possibility that plants other than corn can generate ethanol. Soybean hulls and switch grass (which requires little water and grows throughout the country) are two potential alternatives to corn, but Bissoondial added that in the next five years, ethanol could even be produced from wood chips.

Taking part in the STAR program brought Bissoondial into contact with other teacher-scientists, as well as the scientists at Oak Ridge, through facility tours and seminars. "With American high schools falling behind," he said, "it is so refreshing talking to everyone who is so important, with so many patents." And, he said, thanks to his experience, he now has many more top-notch scientific contacts who can help his students conduct their projects.

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