South Side science research students recognized for achievements

Elena Mingorance and Sadie Seulal are making waves in the scientific community

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South Side High School students Elena Mingorance and Sadie Seulal are making waves in the scientific community, earning invitations to prestigious conferences to present their groundbreaking research.

Mingorance will present her research at the American Physical Society conference in March, the world’s largest physics conference.

“It takes scientists across all disciplines in physics, including physical chemists, which is similar to what my project is,” Mingorance said. “We worked with DNA fragmentation, and we experimented with how to adhere DNA fragments to a surface for sequencing.”

Using polymethyl methacrylate surfaces, Mingorance’s team sought to improve the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of sequencing.

“Sequencing costs time and money for DNA, so when you fragment DNA, it loses its order,” Mingorance said. “If you were able to adhere DNA to a surface, we’d be able to maintain that order, and it would be better for sequencing because it’s much faster and cheaper.”

Herb Weiss, the science research coordinator at South Side High School, highlighted the rarity of such an opportunity. “This is the first time one of our students has been invited to the APS,” Weiss said.

Seulal was selected by the Material Research Society to present the findings of her scientific research project in front of faculty from several of the nation’s top colleges at the organization’s fall meeting and exhibit in Boston last December.

Seulal and her lab partner worked on robotics with the goal of helping those who cannot properly pour or scoop their own food or drinks.

“We’re working towards having the robot synthesize materials in a lab for chemists, since that takes a long time,” Seulal said. “I got to work on the user interface of the programming for the robot so anyone, like chemists or people in our own lab, can use it, because if you go into the code and try to manually use the robot, it’s pretty complicated. So, I just simplified it and added voice commands and simpler functions for everyone to use.”

She said the robot is stationary at Stony Brook University, but its arms and head can be moved to demonstrate how it would work in practice. “Then we would record that demonstration, so that way I would have it for the user interface,” she said.

Both students participated in the highly selective Garcia Science Research Program at Stony Brook University. Ranked eighth in the nation for high school STEM programs, the seven-week program culminates in a symposium where participants present their work to peers, professors, and family.

“It was definitely a privilege to be able to work with a lot of great students,” Mingorance said. “And it’s an international program, so you get to meet people from all over the world.”

Beyond their research projects, Mingorance and Seulal contributed to the Journal of Ethics in Scientific and Technological Innovations. Mingorance assisted with designing cover art and coordinating peer reviews, while Seulal submitted an article.

Both students acknowledged the challenges of adapting to advanced academic environments. “It’s like being the smallest fish in the pond,” Mingorance said. “These people were brilliant.”

Seulal added, “I had severe imposter syndrome ... But when you’re actually presenting, and you get into that headspace, that you deserve to be here, and actually start speaking passionately about your project, people care to listen, and they’re really interested to hear about your research.”

Weiss said the Garcia program at Stony Brook University limits the number of students accepted to the program to only 90 students. “It’s very competitive,” Weiss said. “Out of 90 kids, 45 are international. Then you’ve got about 20 to 25 that are from all across the country. So, they’re only going to take 20 to 25 kids from the New York Tri-State area. The fact that we have four or five kids there is amazing.”

Mingorance reflected on her experience working with college students. “It was really cool for me. I had two college students, one girl who went to Duke and one who was at Johns Hopkins, and it was really interesting to hear them talk about their college experience as STEM majors and be able to interact with them in the lab about their own experience,” she said.

Seulal shared a similar sentiment. “For me, it was the hands-on experience,” she said. “It was so amazing to actually physically be able to be in these labs and work with all this equipment that we could never get our hands on here.”

With their accomplishments, Mingorance and Seulal have set a high bar for future South Side students.

“It brings home what the academic program really is,” Weiss said. “You’re going to go to a university and you’re the top of your class here at South Side and you’re realizing, oh my God, kids are just like me when I go there. The best part about Garcia is that these students make lifelong friends.”

South Side High School Principal Patrick Walsh said both Seulal and Mingorance are great examples of how hard work, perseverance, and dedication can lead to great results.

“Our science research program continues to give students opportunities to develop and expand their skills in areas like critical thinking, problem-solving, and public speaking,” Walsh said. “These skills are essential for students as they leave South Side and embark on their next chapter. I thank our advisors, Herb Weiss and Todd Russo for their continued support of our students, and we look forward to continuing to see the opportunities our science research program provides our students in the future.”