Congratulations to MacArthur Science Research seniors Ana Compton, Mia Frattura, and Natalia Pszeniczny and freshmen Allyssa Aquino, Meaghan Campbell, and Catherine Purirojejananon for their outstanding performance at the NY State Chemagination Competition at St. John's University on March 3rd. The Chemagination Competition asks high school students to imagine that they are living 25 years in the future and have been invited to write an article for ChemMatters, a magazine for high school students that focuses on the role of chemistry in everyday life. The subject of the article is: "Describe a recent breakthrough or innovation in chemistry (and/or its applications) that has improved the quality of people's lives today." Following the submission of the article and cover, the students presented a poster to a number of chemistry professors and researchers.

The senior team took 3rd place in the medical category for their research related to using a magnetron to sputter titanium alloy nanoparticles on organs to reduce the risk of rejection. The freshman team devised jewelry that can be used to test drinks or other substances for the presence of drugs and took home 1st place in the new materials category and will represent NY at the Mid-Atlantic Regional in June! "Initially, I was extremely nervous to present. But knowing that I had my amazing teammates by my side made me feel way more reassured." Allyssa "It was really a fun experience overall, and I had a great time speaking about our envisioned technology with my teammates." - Catherine "It was such a great experience and I am so proud of the work that we did." - Meaghan