[SEMCO] Oceans Alive Wraps-Up May 1

[Sheri DeRosa]

Student Science in Falmouth Highlight of Sea Grant's "Oceans Alive" 
Presentation

Woods Hole Sea Grant's "Oceans Alive" lecture series concludes on 
Tuesday, May 1, with a special afternoon presentation by local science 
fair winners. The students will describe the projects that garnered them 
prizes and recognition locally and regionally as they prepare for the 
state science fair, to be held at MIT from May 3-5.

The student presentations will begin at 4:00 p.m. and will feature 
Falmouth Academy students Max Mann and Matthew Pickart, and Falmouth 
High School students Neil Forrester and Kevin Lin. "Oceans Alive" 
presentations take place in Redfield Auditorium, located on Water 
Street, Woods Hole. The lecture is free; on-street meter parking is 
available adjacent to the auditorium.

Max, a junior, won a first place prize at the Falmouth Academy science 
fair and a second place award at the South Shore Regional science fair 
for his project titled "Search for Marine Microbes that Metabolize 
Dissolved Organic Carbon." During his research, Max added samples from 
the environment and isolates of certain organisms to media with 
dissolved organic carbon. To determine if any metabolism occurred, Max 
analyzed the levels of total organic carbon at one-week intervals. WHOI 
senior scientist John Waterbury served as Max's mentor for the project. 
Max enjoys working on engineering projects and learning Japanese. He is 
the son of Douglas Mann and Jane Schweitzer of Falmouth.

Falmouth Academy junior Matthew Pickart won first place prizes at both 
the school and regional fairs. Matthew will describe his winning effort, 
titled "Effects of Petroleum Hydrocarbons on Salt Marsh Sediments." For 
his project, Matthew investigated how petroleum hydrocarbons from a 1969 
oil spill influence salt marsh topography in Wild Harbor, located in 
Falmouth, Massachusetts, 35 years after contamination. He is the son of 
Robert and Anne Pickart of Falmouth. Matthew is a member of the National 
Honor Society and the Falmouth Academy soccer team.

Neil Forrester, a junior at Falmouth High School, captured top honors at 
the high school fair and a first place award at the South Shore Regional 
fair. For his project titled "Differentiating Random Sequences with a 
Genetic Algorithm," Neil used a technique called genetic programming to 
find flaws in the various ways that computers create random numbers. 
Results from research such as Neil's have the potential to be used to 
protect data and secure codes. WHOI associate scientist Hanumant Singh 
provided guidance on this project. The son of Ned and Janice Forrester 
of Falmouth, Neil's interests include sailing, computer programming, and 
participating in mock trials. He is also a member of the math team.

Also a junior at Falmouth High School, Kevin Lin won a first place award 
at the high school fair and a second place at the South Shore Regional 
fair for his project titled "Evolution of Marine Cyanobacteria in the 
Red Sea." For his winning effort, Kevin sequenced and analyzed DNA of 
cyanobacteria in the Red Sea to see how these organisms have evolved to 
environmental stress conditions and therefore differ from other strains 
of cyanobacteria found worldwide. Kevin is the son of Jian Lin and Kelan 
Huang of Falmouth. He enjoys running, swimming, reading, participating 
in science fairs, and conducting scientific research. A member of the 
math team, ecology club, student government, and student council, Kevin 
also participates in Model United Nations, an authentic simulation of 
the U.N. General Assembly and other multilateral bodies.

For more information, contact Sheri DeRosa at (508) 289-2398, or send 
e-mail to sderosa at whoi.edu.


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