2018 Eastern Section

Junior Science and Humanities Symposium Sub-Regional

Supervising Teacher Checklist

Date: Saturday February 3, 2018

Snow Date February 10, 2018 (I will call youFeb 2 if needed)

Burnt Hills- Ballston Lake High School

**NEW this year- Poster session**

Supervising Teachers: Please print this form and use it as a guide. It is imperative the following guidelines are followed. If any submitted paper or abstract is not properly formatted or is missing certifications, it will not be considered in this competition.

Scientist cert must be completed and signed by scientist only.

Please note- only 1 copy of paper with all 3 certification forms in the back of the paper is to be sent to Donna Mooney at the Academy of the Holy Names. Finalists will submit a pdf at a later time.

Official Student Application with abstract and School Registration Submission(Reals)

(Postmarked by December 13, 2017. Please note that student application and school registrations are sent

to Regina Reals. Papers only, are sent to Donna Mooney.)

Forms required:

-Complete student application, typed only (no hand written forms will be accepted) - _____

Please see for registration forms

Please state on form if applying as speaker or poster presenter_____

-Complete typed abstract- must adhere to 250 word maximum, see example below

-Complete School Registration – include all applying students’ names, number only of visitors and

supervising teachers’ information _____

- Mail all complete student application forms, abstracts and the School Registration form

in one package to:Regina Reals, Eastern Section JSHS_____

Burnt Hills – Ballston Lake HS

88 Lakehill Road

Burnt Hills, NY 12027

Research Papers – required for all poster and speaker applicants(Mooney)

(Postmarked by December 13, 2017)

Each student needs to submit the following:

-1 copy of their research paper _____

-Include a cover page with student name, school name and project title_____

- Papers must include an abstract paragraph in the beginning of the paper_____

- Papers are to be enclosed in a plastic cover with slide on spine _____

(no paper clips, staples or folders)

-Paper must include as the last pages the following completed certification pages:

Student Certification Page_____

Teacher Certification Page_____

Scientist/Mentor Certification Page-completed and signed by scientist only_____

-Supervising Teacher double checks students’ formatting of paper_____

-Mail all student papers in one box to:

Donna Mooney, Eastern Section JSHS_____

Academy of the Holy Names

1075 New Scotland Road

Albany, NY 12208

(students who submit papers separately will not be considered)

Schools will receive an email listing selected speakers as well as final procedures,

including fees ($25 per competitor, $10 visitor with lunch, 1 teacher lunch free) and lunch selections, midJanuary.

Thank you once again for your time. We look forward to an exciting and enriching day.

Preparing Your Abstract

The abstract should accurately convey the essential nature of the research conducted and the most significant conclusions reached. A further purpose of the abstract is to attract the interest and curiosity of the non-specialist reader and thus encourage exchange, discussion, and elaboration between various authors and between authors and readers.

Content

  • What you did, how you did it, what it means, why you did it and what you found.
  • Citing of experimentation completed by submission date (anticipatedexperimentation or results should not be included.
  • Reference to a specific procedure should be restricted to a description of the process employed.
  • State results, conclusions or findings clearly and concisely.
  • Credit any financial sponsorship at the end of the abstract: “Research supported by …”

Formatting:

Completed in Word, 250 word maximum, 1 inch margins, keyed in 12 point font (Times New Roman). Abstracts must be adequate in length but not exceed these specifications

Genetic Transformation of Sweet Potato

Jane Einstein

Anywhere High School

Teacher: Mrs. Georgiana Spallanza

Mentor: Mr. Joseph Pascale, Albany Medical College

Sweet potato is considered the sixth most important food crop in the world and has high nutritional value for humans. However, pests, diseases and environmental factors prevent the crop from reaching its maximum agricultural potential. Improvement of the sweet potato is highly limited by conventional breeding methods. Recombinant DNA technology offers a means for manipulation of the sweet potato genome to integrate valuable traits. Critical parameters of the electroporation (voltage of current and digestion of cell wall) and particle bombardment (helium pressure and gold particle distribution) were examined for efficient DNA transfer. Electroporation resulted in less damage and higher recovery of tissue after DNA delivery compared to particle bombardment. Transformed cells were identified with two marker genes: Beta-glucoronidase (GUS) and Green Florescent Protein (GFP). Cells expressing GFP were easily identified due to uniform protein distribution, and allow the monitoring of the cell development pattern, unlike cells expressing the GUS gene. Using the optimized conditions derived from the present study, sweet potato can be genetically improved for increased crop productivity and nutritional value.

Upon review, approximately 50 projects submitted will be chosen for the speaker sessions. Once selected, all papers remaining will then be reviewed for placement in the poster session.

Specific poster requirements will be posted in the future.