Students in Newtown High School science teacher Tim DeJulio’s Applied Science Research (ASR) class presented their projects on May 20. The evening event capped, for some, years worth of research.

“ASR is a course that guides students interested in pursuing research in biological, physical, medical, and engineering sciences, and it gives them the opportunity to conduct a multi-year science experimental research project,” an invitation to the event read. “The symposium is our end-of-year showcase where we display the hard work of our students.”

Ahead of the presentations, students explained their projects during a class period on May 16.

NHS senior Ashley Carnes studied water quality in different Newtown watersheds.

“I really care about the environment. I’m an environmentalist,” said Ashley, “and I really wanted to explore how our town may be affecting the water. And I found the water is relatively healthy in our town, which is very good.”

Claire Fiordelisi, a sophomore, studied the effects of coping mechanisms on social anxiety based on her interest in psychology. She created a survey, and the project will be ongoing over the next two school years.

NHS junior James Burbank studied “the applications and properties of a ferrofluid piston in a Stirling engine,” and he plans to study the topic further next school year.

“I really liked magnets for a long time,” said James, “and ferrofluid is a magnetic fluid. I’ve always just wanted to make a difference in the energy department.”

Marie Ann Tomaj, a junior, titled her project “The Effect of Deep Brain Stimulation on Patients with Dystonia.”

Sophomore Aidan Hall said he chose to study the affect of nutrition on trout coloration. He will conduct his research over the next two years.

Senior Timothy White said, “My project is the synopsis of gene essentiality, what’s genetic engineering.” He has been working on the project for three school years.

“I came into this class wanting to do something bio-oriented,” Timothy explained, adding that he was inspired by a family member to “battle” certain diseases. He worked with a laboratory at Penn State University to conduct testing at NHS.

“The data I got did not say anything toward my hypothesis, but that is why I have to continue working on [the project],” Timothy said, sharing that he has plans to continue his research in college. He plans to study sound design at Ithaca College, N.Y., in the fall.

According to Mr DeJulio, Timothy’s project, “The Study of Applied Bioinformatics” earned second honors in the Life Science Category at the Connecticut Science & Engineering Fair.

Bryan Ingwersen, a senior, explained his project as, “It’s been looking, essentially, at using computer simulations to study turbulence in fluids.”

“I’ve always had an interest in physics and computer science, and this was an interesting way to combine those two. And I just thought it was a really cool idea,” said Bryan.

Bryan shared that he learned about the ASR course “really early on in high school” from Mr DeJulio, and he has been taking the program for two school years. Bryan plans to attend the University of Notre Dame, Ind., in the fall to study either applied math or computer science.

According to Mr DeJulio, Bryan’s project, “Computational Fluid Dynamics Study of Turbulence,” earned multiple awards, including second honors in the Physical Science Category at the Connecticut Science & Engineering Fair and a senior high finalist medallion from the Computer Science Awards.

Mr DeJulio said this is the tenth year the high school has offered the ASR course, and it allows students to face challenges they may not normally deal with in school.

“I look forward to watching the students showcase their work at the symposium this year,” Mr DeJulio said ahead of the May 20 presentations. “I believe that providing students the opportunity to conduct long-term, real world science experiments set them up for success in their lives after school.”

After the event, Mr DeJulio reflected that all of the students “did a great job.”