As part of our ongoing look at science research courses and students in the region, today we feature a video of Niki Tsamis, a Dobbs Ferry High School student who spent years studying RHOBTB, a gene that is a known tumor suppressor in breast cancer. She began the research to determine if the gene could be used to prevent cancer. Read our earlier story about science research courses here. Scroll down for videos of other students.

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My colleague, Jane Lerner, this morning got an invitation to an event where Denzel Washington and his wife, Pauletta, will award two scholarship for research in neuroscience.

The ceremony will be held at Mount Vernon High School “to help persuade students from Denzel’s hometown to consider careers in the sciences because they offer the potential to change the world,” according to a statement from the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, where the Department of Neurosurgery has given out the Pauletta and Denzel Washington Family Scholarship in Neuroscience Awards annually since 2004.

Read more about it on our To Your Health blog.

Associated Press photo from 2002 by Chris Pizzello.

The following is from Barbara Livingston Nackman, a Journal News staff reporter who writes the blog Book by Book at books.lohudblogs.com about book events and people in the lower Hudson Valley.

Yesterday morning tenth graders at Mahopac High School spent the first three hours of their morning hearing about career choices and grilling various professions.   I was one of them along with more than 20 other  professionals including physical therapist Josephine Carmody,  Human Resources recruiter Diana Markowitz, retired English teacher Jay Rose and architect Joel Greenberg.

I spoke to at two sessions along with former Journal News writer David McKay Wilson, who is a Mahopac parent. He is now freelancing for academic publications and The New York Times and is working on a book about whether 21 is a reasonable drinking age.

Students got right down to the nitty gritty with their questions —“How do you choose the stories you write about?” (We pitch stories that make sense to us and we think readers want);  “What is a typical day like?” (This one took a while to answer because no day is typical);  “Do you do a mix of stories like human interest and major news?” (Yes, we do to keep our sanity);  “How do you handle it when people don’t tell you the truth?” (Tough one, but we always try to use good sources)

It is no great secret that few teenagers read paper newspapers, instead getting their news from the Internet. Yahoo and Google were most mentioned — and really I figured I would hear of some under-the-radar sites, but did not.  I was surprised when some said they got the news from their parents! When I said my two sons, 24 and 22, quote Jon Stewart  more than any newscaster, they all laughed very knowingly.  There is much interest in sports reporting and all knew of LoHud.com’s Varsity Central. Some also talked about writing international news.

With so many career choices it is a wonder students ever narrow it down and focus their attention on what to do with the rest of their lives.  But it is clear, even with distractions from iPods and cell phones, they are thinking, wondering and asking questions.

This announcement recently landed in our in-box:

The Bedford Audubon Society has announced that it will award its Marty McGuire Scholarship to Rye Country Day School sophomore Scott Wieman at ceremony at Katonah Village Hall on May 14th. Scott was chosen from a list of highly qualified candidates from all over Northern Westchester and Eastern Putnam counties. He will use the award to attend a week-long environmental research camp at Maine Audubon Society’s Hog Island.

The Audubon Society noted that Scott has shown a keen interest in the environment and, in particular, ornithology, for many years. He has attended the camp at the Hog Island Audubon Center twice, worked as a volunteer at Dinosaur National Monument in Colorado, been a conservationist in Training at Ward Pound Ridge Reservation, attended Vermont Audubon’s High Pond camp, and also worked at the Rye Nature Center. AT RCDS, Scott is vice president of the Environmental Club, and is in the midst of a three-year research program focusing on wood warblers and specific threats to their migration. Scott is working  under the mentorship of Andrew Farnsworth of Cornell University’s Lab of Ornithology.

One thing most people are in agreement on in New York when it comes to schools is that school taxes are onerous and it’s probably not the best system to base school funding on.

Unfortunately, that’s where the agreement ends, as no one can seem to come up with an alternative that most folks can get behind.

The New York State School Boards Association recently interviewed Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, who also is chairman of the Assembly’s education committee, about the state’s Tax Cap Commission. Silver represents part of New York City.

You can read the entire interview, which also touches on the subjects of school aid, the mood at the capitol and other issues, here.

Here’s an excerpt:

The reality is that parents are going to want their kids educated, they want to pay the price (in local school taxes) to have their kids educated and the caps are not going to work. It would be difficult to transition to full funding of education through state resources, which is the alternative.

What’s your solution to the property tax situation?

Fifteen low-income students from 10 high schools today were each awarded scholarships of up to $10,000 over 4 years through the county’s Jandon Scholars program.

The money comes from the Jandon Foundation, a private foundation created by Jane and Donald Cecil of Harrison. The program has handed out 125 college scholarships since 1999; by the end of this year 64 students who received aid will have graduated from college.
“We are very proud of these students because they have been able to excel academically and become leaders in their schools and communities despite financial and, in some cases, emotional hardship,’’ said County Executive Andy Spano in a statement.

A list of this year’s recipients is after the jump: Read more of this entry »

Greg Brown, a senior at Pleasantville High School, is hoping to combat identity theft. The research he conducted in his science research class focused on improving the accuracy of “cancellable” fingerprint verification systems. These systems do not permanently store your fingerprint information, but aren’t in widespread use because they aren’t as accurate as systems that retain complete information on fingerprints. We took a look at science research courses in a story yesterday.

As Brown said, a database containing fingerprint information could be the next frontier for identity thieves if and when the use of fingerprints as a means of identification at airports, retail stores and other locations is increased. Take a look at his video (apologies for my shoddy camera work) and keep a look out for other student videos during the week.

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Allegations that a former Putnam Valley Middle School teacher drugged and raped a 12-year-old girl in his classroom were handled improperly by school officials, police and prosecutors, according to the New York State Commission of Investigation.

In a report made public today, the commission says the teacher, who is not named in the report but court documents identify as Dennis Tave, had been reported to school authorities on at least two occasions prior to the 2001 incident by young female students who said he engaged in inappropriate sexual behavior and commentary.

The handling of this case was completely unacceptable, and, as a result, we may never know what occurred in the classroom that day,” said Commission Chairman Alfred D. Lerner. “There are established protocols for how cases like this are supposed to be handled, and they were not followed in this instance. The (commission) has made strong recommendations in its report to help ensure that this never happens again.”

Former Gov. George Pataki asked the commission to study the case in response to a complaint from the girl’s father.

The commission’s findings are the latest in an ongoing series of news relating to the case.

Just a reminder: RCC-TV’s first-ever Video Festival will be held tomorrow at Rockland Community College’s Technology Center starting at 7 p.m. The event will showcase student-produced videos and seven awards will be given out. Producers of the best overall video will receive a high-definition TV. Judges will include professionals in television, radio and the movies who are all former RCC students.

For more information, contact Janice Goldstein at jgoldstein@sunyrockland.edu or 845-574-4429.

In speaking with two 17-year-old Harrison High School girls whose sisters were diagnosed with leukemia, I asked them whether they felt there was more stress on them or less because of their sister’s illnesses.

Their reactions were twofold: it’s hard to watch your sister so ill and know you can’t do anything.

Alexa Luiso, whose sister was diagnosed last year, found herself having to watch her younger sibs because her parents were spending time at the hospital.

“I felt I had to take a parental role. My other younger sister was (ill for a different reason) and shew as at one hospital, my other sister at another. I felt like I had to be there for them. I try to help out as much as possible because it’s not easy on anybody.

“I don’t want to sound like I’m complaining or I’m not willing to help or I don’t sympathize but … I have things to get done on my own. I’m trying to get into college. When you are in this state of mind, it’s not a good idea to worry about everything. You need to get past all your problems or it will build up and it’s more stress.”

Feeling overwhelmed with all the school information and scheduling you constantly have to juggle, such as, “When is that PTA meeting?” “Where is that football game?” “What’s the cafeteria serving for lunch?”

Of course, the list goes on and on.

Well, I just got a pitch to write about a new site called SchoolPulse and I thought it was worth passing along. Check it out if you’re looking for a place to form an online school community.

From Congresswoman Nita Lowey’s office:

Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-Westchester/Rockland) today announced that the Bronxville Union Free School District will receive more than $5.4 million in two grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to repair damage incurred during the April 2007 Nor’easter.

“When a natural disaster occurs, the federal government has a responsibility to help communities recover,” said Lowey.  “I am pleased that the federal government has responded to the urgent need to help Bronxville schools recover from the April 2007 Nor’easter.”

During the April 2007 Nor’easter, Bronxville received eight inches of rain in a 24-hour period, which resulted in the heavy flooding on the Bronxville Union Free School District’s campus.

Floodwaters entered all four wings of the school on the ground floor eventually reaching a high water mark of 5 ½ feet.  Damage was sustained to flooring, wall partitions, cabinetry and other millwork, doors, frames, trim work, wall lockers, wall mounted educational treatments, ceilings, mechanical and electrical equipment, teaching equipment, furnishings and more.

“One year ago, massive flooding damaged the entire first floor of our school,” said Bronxville Superintendent Dr. David Quattrone. “We lost over 100,000 square feet of space, not to mention hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of instructional supplies and equipment. Since then, so many people have helped us respond to this emergency. Our students, parents, and teachers have displayed resilience and flexibility. The community has been very supportive. Our elected representatives were quick to be on the scene and facilitate assistance.”

The Pleasantville High School’s Art Department cordially invites the public to the Sixth Annual High School Art Show at the Jacob Burns Film Center on Saturday, May 17, 2008 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. A special presentation will be held at 11 a.m.

This one day event will include drawings, paintings, ceramics, photography and graphic arts from our talented young artists including award winning artwork by AP Art and National Art Honor Society students.

Among the many works of art on display, the event will feature portraits created by PHS students for “The Memory Project,” a nonprofit organization that provides orphans with mementos of their youth.  The exhibit will also include table top mosaic designs created by students and senior citizens for the Clinton Street Senior Center in Pleasantville. The third series of student artists’ paintings for the “Portraits of Pleasantville” collection will be exhibited for the first time.

This occasion is a great testament to the combined efforts and support by Pleasantville High School’s administration and art faculty, led by James Maron, the Jacob Burns Film Center and FOVA (Friends of the Visual Arts).

Only seven years ago, the annual high school art show was open to the public only during intermission of the Spring Concert. Today, it is showcased in one of the premier arts organizations in the country.

In today’s paper, we take a look at science research courses in the Lower Hudson Valley. (See it here). The intensive programs allow students to choose topics that interest them and study them independently for three to four years.

These are not like the science projects you remember from school, such as connecting wires to turn on a light bulb or pouring baking soda, vinegar and dish detergent down a mound of dirt to make a “volcano.” In most cases, projects in science research courses are very high-brow.

Take a look for yourself. To go along with today’s story, we conducted interviews with students in science research classes throughout Westchester and Rockland. Beginning with Jeremy Blum, a senior at Byram Hills High School and the area’s only finalist in the Intel Science Talent Search this year, they talk about their projects in their own words. We’ll post others over the next few days.

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A federal appeals court has unanimously ordered an Illinois school district to allow a student to wear a t-shirt that says “Be Happy, Not Gay” to protest a day meant to promote tolerance of gay students.

The t-shirt was in protest of the Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network’s “Day of Silence,” which aims to make schools safer for all students, regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity.

What do you think?