Monday, May 12, 2025
Five Hewlett High School juniors have been named national finalists in the GENIUS Olympiad, an international competition focused on environmental issues.
Organized by Terra Science and Education, the GENIUS Olympiad recognizes students for exceptional research papers addressing global environmental challenges.
Nearly 2,000 students from more than 80 countries and 45 U.S. states are selected to participate in what is considered one of the largest international high school project fairs.
Julia Igaunis, was selected as a finalist for her research on the ways to regulate the length of root hairs to increase absorption of nutrients and reduce the number of fertilizers required in Ceratopteris richardii.
Igaunis conducted her research at Hewlett High and said it was an honor to be recognized for her hard work on the project.
“It felt great, of course,” Igaunis said. “I put in so much work on this project, and it was great to see it pay off and be recognized.”
Olivia Tetsoti, a junior at Hewlett, was also selected as a finalist for her research on the effects of heated versus non-heated plastics and the structural changes that occur.
Tetsoti conducted her research under the mentorship of Jodi Evans, a biology professor at Molloy University, where she interned in the summer of 2024.
Ariel Greenberg was also selected as a finalist for her research on a mutant form of the fern Ceratopteris richardii.
Greenberg’s research previously earned second place at the Long Island Science and Engineering Fair in March 2025.
Deniz Artan will also represent Hewlett at the GENIUS Olympiad, presenting her research on how incubating algae with concrete during the drying process can strengthen the material.
Artan, Greenberg and Igaunis all conducted their research at the high school during the school year.
Shivani Persaud, the final representative of the district at the competition, also conducted her research on titanium dioxide, which is widely used as an additive in food and cosmetics
Persaud said she was thankful for the support of her school and teachers in helping with her project, even though the original results from her internship didn’t go as planned.
“I was really happy when I found out I was named a finalist,” Persaud said. “At the start of the year, with the not-so-good data from my internship I was a bit worried about how this year would have gone, but I was kind of relieved that my hard work paid off.”
Terrence Bissoondial, the science research teacher at Hewlett High School, oversaw each student’s project. He said he was extremely proud of their accomplishments and grateful to the district for providing the resources to support their work.
“My school district is really wonderful in the sense that they provide the resources to give these students the opportunity to do that sort of research,” Bissoondial said. “I’ve talked to many other school districts, and many schools are cutting things, so it is really nice to see our school has been able to maintain for many years this level of research.”
The students will compete for grand, gold, silver, and bronze medals in upstate Rochester, from June 9 to 13.
