GCHS Senior To VisitWashington As Intel Finalist

Garden City High School Student Abhinav Rohatgi, 17 (second from left), with, Science Research Teacher Steven Gordon, Ph.D. (left), Science Curriculum Coordinator Gail Bennington, and Principal Frank Banta, Ed.D.

Garden City High School Senior Abhinav Rohatgi has been named a finalist in the Intel Science Talent Search for his work on the environmental effects of the gasoline additive methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE).

Mr. Rohatgi received word that he had been chosen on January 30 during an evening phone call from competition organizers. He said he hopes his research will lead to the development of safe chemical blocking agents to mitigate the harmful effects of MTBE and to stricter chemical waste management regulations.

"It's wonderful to see such hard work pay off for a student," Science Research Teacher Steven Gordon, Ph.D., said. Mr. Rohatgi is one of only 40 students across the nation to be chosen as an Intel finalist this year. Twelve of the 2007 finalists are from New York State; six are from Long Island. They were selected from among 1,705 entrants.

In March, Mr. Rohatgi will travel to Washington for a weeklong event during which he and other finalists will undergo a rigorous judging process, meet with national leaders, interact with leading scientists, and display their research at the National Academy of Sciences. Mr. Rohatgi also will receive a scholarship award of at least $5,000 and a lap top computer. Ultimately, 10 of the finalists will receive scholarships totaling $500,000. As a semifinalist, Mr. Rohatgi already has received a $1,000 scholarship, and Garden City High School has received a $1,000 award as well.

"Abhinav's project is of great local interest," Science Research Teacher Steven Gordon, Ph.D, said. "His work has widespread implications for deciphering the potential detrimental effects of lingering MTBE on our local ecosystem and may be helpful to regulators working to make Long Island's water supply safer."

High concentrations of MTBE have been found in water sources throughout Long Island. Mr. Rohatgi's environmental sciences study, The MTBE Fuel Additive Induces Mortality in Marine Life Through Nitric Oxide Signaling, focuses on the physiology and mortality of marine mollusks exposed to MTBE.

Using blue mussels common to the Long Island, he has demonstrated a direct linear relationship between death rates among the mussels and MTBE levels in water. He also found that, at MTBE concentrations exceeding 100 parts per billion (ppb), levels of nitric oxide in the nerve tissues of the mussels become elevated and morphological changes occur in blood cells, leading to death.

Because humans and mussels share similar mechanisms for producing and using nitric oxide, these findings may lead to the development of safe chemical blocking agents that mitigate MTBE's harmful effects and to stricter laws regulating waste management of chemicals

Mr. Rohatgi, a Science Research student at the High School, said he became interested in MTBE when he read an article in a 2005 edition of The New York Times reporting that the additive had leached into Long Island's water supply. In addition to conducting research in environmental science, Mr. Rohatgi is president of the High School Chess Club and founder of Japanese Animation Studies and enjoys playing the guitar. He hopes to pursue a degree in chemistry at Brown or Rice University.

Often referred to as the "Junior Nobel Prize," the Intel Talent Search is America's oldest and most prestigious high school science competition. Finalists frequently go on to develop distinguished careers in the sciences. According to Intel, six finalists have won the Nobel Prize, and others have received the Fields Medal, the National Medal of Science, and MacArthur Foundation fellowships.

The Science Research program at Garden City High School is affiliated with the University in the High School program at SUNY Albany. This unique partnership enables high school students to receive up to 12 college credits for their participation in the program. Science research students typically enroll in the course at the beginning of the sophomore year and continue through the senior year.

Students in the Garden City program participate in local science competitions such as the LISEF (Long Island Science and Engineering Fair) and Adelphi University JSHS (Junior Science and Humanities Symposium) and national competitions such as the Siemens and Intel talent searches.