Gallery Event Inspires Networking with the Class of 2024

Too often an organization’s mission and vision statements are just that– statements on marketing materials.  Here, at the Mathematics and Science Academy, they are guiding principles informing our daily work and our program’s development.  Walk into our classrooms, and you’ll see our mission guiding our daily work.  If you attended the Senior Project Gallery Open House on Tuesday, February 6th, you saw first-hand our vision for our students shining through the anticipation our seniors have for their futures.

Mission of the Mathematics & Science Academy

 The Mission of the Mathematics & Science Academy is to provide a rigorous and innovative academic program focused on mathematics and sciencewhich inspires and empowers students to pursue related careers and to make significant contributions to the global community.

  

Vision  of the Mathematics & Science Academy

The Vision of the Mathematics & Science Academy is to exemplify the best in mathematics and science education through the integration of 21st-century skills, current technologies, and authentic applicationsthat inspire and engage students and which ultimately will be realized in the innovative achievements, leadership, and service of its graduates in associated professions throughout the global community.

We are excited to see our seniors embrace the behaviors, attitudes, and practices that will help them become leaders in their eventual professions.  During the gallery event, seniors networked with underclassmen to encourage and inspire students to explore STEM-related fields. Our event was an open-house poster session modeled after poster sessions often held at universities and professional conferences.  Seniors designed professional posters featuring an overview of their work and links to their portfolios. Several sample posters can be found below.  This event was an opportunity for seniors to speak publicly about their projects and answer questions in a less formal setting than their formal presentations.

Their formal presentations begin at the end of the month.  While those presentations are designed for their peers and underclassmen, they are open to the public.  Feel free to check our schedule (Parent Copy MSA Presentation Schedule-2024). During the event, the senior project advisor met with juniors and their parents.  They are starting their senior project journey now!  If you missed the meeting, you can access a video version and the resources reviewed during the meeting on the Academy Advisor’s Corner page. 

New this year, visitors were able to vote on their favorite senior projects.  To encourage networking, our sophomores and juniors will now reach out to seniors requesting more formal interviews.  This step will help our underclassmen practice their professional letter/email writing, resume preparation, and professional communication skills before reaching out to professionals for their senior projects.

Congratulations to our senior winners!

 

Missed the gallery?  Here are a few posters spanning a variety of topics.

*Click the image to see it on its own page.

Senior Projects Get a Boost from our Boosters

The Mathematics and Science Academy is more than a (well-cared-for) building, is more than a (rigorous and engaging) curriculum, and is more than an (impressive) list of student and program accolades.  The MSA is a special place because of the people who are invested in making our program the best it can be.

It is special because of the teachers who inspire our students to do some pretty great things–like Mr. Sonier, MSA Integrative STEM teacher, who was recently named teacher of the year.  Way to go, Mr. Sonier!

It is special because of the students who are curious and engaged with learning.  A great example of our students’ enthusiasm for learning happened on the second day of school this year. A small group of seniors who are working on senior projects related to cybersecurity were invited to attend the International Test and Evaluation Association (ITEA) cybersecurity conference and to participate in a STEAM Hack Challenge with other area schools.

It is special because of our parents who support student learning and encourage student engagement and autonomy.  The MSA Booster organization is a great example of our parents’ support for our students.  In fact, the Boosters offer yearly project grants to seniors as seed money for senior projects.  Students apply for grant funds after considering factors like impact, sustainability, and budget.  This year five students have been awarded Booster grants.  These grants will fund the first-ever OLHS STEAM Hack Challenge and Cybersecurity Workshop, educational brochures, materials for a robotics engineering design research project, and the printing of a children’s book.

If you are a current or former parent, or if you are an alumnus/alumna of our program, please consider joining our Booster organization.  They do so much for our organization beyond these grants.  They fund student enrichment experiences through an enrichment grant program and through financial support of field trips; they fund three annual scholarships; and, they support teachers with money for lab supplies.

You can support them with your membership and through their fundraising efforts.  Learn more by visiting their webpage and following them on Facebook!

Virginia State Science and Engineering Fair Results are In!

Over spring break, six of the eight eligible MSA students who moved on as the Tidewater Regional Science and Engineering Fair representatives for their respective categories competed in the Virginia State Science and Engineering Fair.  All of the participants represented their work and our school with enthusiasm and professionalism.  We are so proud of them all!

We would like to acknowledge in particular the following awards:

Animal, Behavioral, and Social Sciences

Jenny Vu, at TSEF

Jenny Vu
Third Place
The Memory Retention of Planaria (Dugesia dorotocephala) after the Removal and Regeneration of the
Cerebral Ganglia and Various Percentages of Body Tissue

 

Biochemistry and Cellular & Molecular Biology

Reagan Labert, at TSEF, beside Aniya Patel

Reagan Labert
Honorable Mention
Comparison and Analysis of the Compositions of Commercial Kombucha Products

 

Rockwell Li, at TSEF

 

 

 

 

 

 

Physics, Math, and Astronomy
Rockwell Li
First Place
Breaking the Limits of Scanning Tunneling Microscopy Using Super Resolution

 

Software and Embedded Systems

Joshua Bryant, at TSEF, with David Race

Joshua Bryant
Second Place
Designing and Prototyping and LIDAR Based Haptic Navigation Vest for the Visually Impaired and
Special Forces

Leidos Award for Excellence in Applied Science
Second Place
Joshua Bryant
Designing and Prototyping and LIDAR Based Haptic Navigation Vest for the Visually Impaired and
Special Forces

Exciting Time to Be an MSA Senior

Today was a great first day of senior presentations! These presenters are setting a high bar for future underclassmen to follow. There are so many exciting events and opportunities for seniors in the coming months. One scholarship available to MSA seniors is open now!

All seniors who have at least one guardian enrolled as a member of our MSA Booster Club are eligible to apply for the MSA Boosters’ Scholarship. The MSA Booster Scholarship Application is live now using the link below. It’s due by 11:59 PM on Saturday, 4/29. http://bit.ly/MSA_Application

Parent not a Booster, yet? It’s not too late to join. This year our boosters have funded senior projects with grants, have supported our Geology field trip to the Blue Ridge, and later in the year, help with the senior recognition ceremony. Here is the link for parents to join: https://sites.google.com/vbschools.com/msab/home

MSA Boosters Support Student Learning!

Here at the MSA, we LOVE our parents.  They support student learning in all kinds of ways.  We have had parents serve as guest lecturers, who share how classroom content connects to their professions.  We have had parents serve as valuable mentors, who welcome student shadows (students who aren’t their own children) to learn about a profession as a part of the senior project experience. If you are interested in either of these opportunities to get involved, please contact Allison Graves, the senior project advisor.

However, you don’t have to be a STEM professional directly working with students to be a helpful member of our parent network! Join our MSA Boosters.  The MSA Boosters support student learning through senior project grants, underclassman enrichment program grants, and a senior scholarship.  Student recipients of these opportunities must have at least one parent who is a booster.  Membership in the organization must be renewed each year, but know that these funds directly support our students.  In addition to providing funds for our senior celebration, the Boosters support student work.  Here are two current seniors, who have directly benefited from Booster-supported programs:

Cedrick D.’s senior project: “Redesigning the Kirby-Bauer Protocol to Detect the Relative Concentration of Environmental Antibiotics”

Cedrick D. is using his senior project grant money to purchase lab supplies for his research project.

“Across the world, antibiotic resistance is developing as an emerging public health emergency, threatening to upend the state of modern medicine.  One of the major breeding grounds of antibiotic resistance is the environment, as antibiotics begin to contaminate ecosystems nearby pollution sources such as livestock farms, dog parks, and waste facilities, leading to environmental antibiotic resistance that can be spread to pathogenic bacteria. Additionally, environmental antibiotic pollution can hinder plant growth and destroy local habitats. With this in mind, studies dealing with environmental antibiotic pollution are unfortunately still in their infancy.

Two main methodologies currently exist for these studies: direct measurement of environmental antibiotic concentration through liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopy or indirect measurement of antibiotic presence through testing environmental flora’s resistances in a disc diffusion test. Both are hindered by limitations in their scope of detection and their resource-, time-, and cost-intensive nature. As such, this research project attempts to determine whether direct testing of environmental water samples for antibiotic contamination can be done through a modified version of the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion test. The standard agar depth and type of the Kirby-Bauer methodology will first be modified to test for the most sensitive combination of type and depth before testing it with antimicrobial-impregnated discs from stock solutions and, later, environmental water samples. If successful, this would create a more cost-effective and inclusive means of testing for antibiotic pollution, allowing for more widespread and informative studies that will help in combating the scourge of antibiotic resistance.”

Joshua B.’s senior project: “A LIDAR aided haptic vest for the visually impaired and special forces: The ARGUS vest”

Joshua shadowed a systems engineer this summer and is planning his own electrical engineering project to demonstrate what he’s learned.

“I am planning to create a working prototype of a LIDAR-aided haptic vest for the visually impaired and special services (i.e firefighters). VL53L1X sensors will be mounted on the outer sleeves, chest, and back to provide guidance in all directions. It is a similar concept to the backup sensor on modern cars, beeping faster as the car gets closer to an obstacle, instead, the beeping would be replaced with haptic motors that would let the user know in which direction an approaching obstacle is. The sensors in the jacket will all be connected to a Raspberry pi pico to process the distance data and set the haptic motors to the correct intensities. Planning, designing, and troubleshooting this product will help prepare me for engineering college and being an electrical/computer engineer. I will have to design circuit schematics, create PCBs, identify the right components to use, 3d model the enclosure for the mainboard, solder and assemble circuit boards, and code the microcontroller in C++.

For people with disabilities, it is often difficult to fit into society since people perceive you as different because of physical characteristics such as having a walking stick or a guide dog. This struggle to fit in creates psychological stress. My goal for creating this vest is for it to look like a normal piece of clothing, so the visually impaired won’t have to use a more noticeable seeing aid like a walking stick or guide dog. By being able to navigate their surroundings while wearing a plain vest, the visually impaired can function more easily.”

 

How can parents get involved?

We have a tremendously helpful MSA Booster Club.  The Boosters support all kinds of projects–from securing lab resources to supporting student enrichment and independent projects. The Boosters are also a great community-sounding board for parents looking to connect with folks who have lived the life of an MSA parent. The Boosters plan to host social events this year for parents to connect and idea share.

How can you join and support this group’s efforts?

  1. You can become a member: Click Here!
  2.  You can support their fundraisers:
    • Buy a T-Shirt: Click Here!
    • Holiday shop!  Use the MSABC’s Amazon Smile link to do some holiday shopping: Click Here!
    • Buy your groceries at a Kroger: Click Here!

Are you interested in applying to our program?

Visit our open house to see if our program is a good fit for you!

If you are a current 8th or 9th grader, and you are interested in applying to our program, access the application to academy programs here. The deadline for applications is January 9, 2023.

Sharing What We Learn–From Science Fairs to Senior Talks

On Friday we wrapped up our senior project presentations.  It felt so good to host LIVE presentations this year, even if for smaller audiences.  Our last presenter was a research student, Elizabeth Caffyn, who went into the weekend on the high note of having delivered a great presentation. Check out pictures of our presenters on our Facebook page.

She and her fellow research students shared their work with a different audience this weekend–the Tidewater Science Congress’s Science and Engineering Fair judges.  Our school submitted 27 projects, 23 of those placed 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or Honorable Mention.  We had eight 1st place in category winners, and we had both the 1st and 2nd place Overall Grand Finalists.  Overall Grand Finalists are eligible for the International Science and Engineering Fair, and the eight 1st place winners are eligible to enter their work in the state science and engineering fair.

Congratulations to this year’s researchers!  An extra special thank you to Mrs. Shoemaker who served as a guide and expert to our budding scientists.

2022 Tidewater Science and Engineering Virtual Fair Award Winners
Overall Grand Finalists & ISEF Selectees: 1st Grand Finalist Omar Abul-Hassan A Helmholtzian Deep Learning Approach to Glomeruli Segmentation using Energy-based Models
2nd Grand Finalist Rockwell Li Swim Smart, Swim Fast – Development and Application of a Fitbit App for Swim Technique Study
SENIOR DIVISION:
Behavioral & Social Sciences
2nd Place (tie) Gabriel Gonzalez Music and Emotion
2nd Place (tie) Erin Jones Far Transfer Effects of Cognitive Training in High School Students
3rd Place Josh Makela Parenting and Personality
Cellular & Molecular Biology 1st Place Omar Abul-Hassan A Helmholtzian Deep Learning Approach to Glomeruli Segmentation using Energy-based Models
2nd Place Sarrallton Sy Effectiveness of Natural Substances Against Bacterial Growth
Computer Science
2nd Place Philip Turner Creating the First Affordable AR Headset Experience
Earth & Planetary Science 1st Place Jack Shoemaker Computer Science in Weather Forecasting
Electrical & Mechanical Engineering 1st Place AmyMarie Jones Inverse and Forward Kinematics
2nd Place Riley Warden Putting a Lock on Impaired Driving
3rd Place Silas Marx Electromagnetic Rocket Launch Pad
Materials & Bioengineering 1st Place Rockwell Li Swim Smart, Swim Fast – Development and Application of a Fitbit App for Swim Technique Study
2nd Place Matthew Heilig Controlling Heat using Heat Pipes
3rd Place Andrew Strassberger Structural Dynamics and 3-D Printing
Energy & Transportation 1st Place Paul Wiskow Using Maglev Trains to Launch Rockets
Mathematical Sciences
2nd Place Rebecca Sun Computer Science in Data Analytics and Finance: Exploring the Impact of Social Media on Market Prices
3rd Place Evan Freisenbruch Chances Are The Lottery Will Be The One Playing You
Medicine & Health Sciences 1st Place Dylan Mach Engineering a Low-Cost and Efficacious Apparatus for Alleviating Finger Joint Pain in Arthritic Patients
2nd Place Jaylin Revies Hip Hop Therapy and Mental Health
Microbiology 1st Place Elizabeth Caffyn Airborne diseases and their prevention
Physics & Astronomy
2nd Place Samuel Krug Effects of Cluster Density on the Formation of Galaxies
Honorable Mention Saif Rahman Determining the Most Effective Propellant for an Ion Thruster
Plant Sciences 1st Place Tracy Peucker The Effect of Various Lighting Patterns and Nutrient Ratios on Algae Growth
2nd Place Alanis Stapelfeldt Extrafloral Nectaries of Prunus serotina and Prunus x yedoensis and Ant Mutualism

You dolphins have earned a big wave!  Here’s the wave following Elizabeth’s presentation on Friday–not as big as in years past, but to do one at all felt pretty BIG! So proud of you all.

Congratulations Class of 2022! More support from our Boosters…

Congratulations to the Class of 2022. You have done hard things–big projects; long papers; talking to professionals; and formal public speaking. We are so proud of you!

 

Awesome opportunities–

Did you know that every year our MSA Boosters offer three scholarships to graduating seniors of current members?

And…

Did you know that our MSA Boosters offer underclassmen enrichment grants?  If you are interested in a summer program that may charge a participation fee or tuition, and you or a parent are a member of our Boosters organization, consider applying for a grant!

Not a booster?  Visit the booster’s website here: https://sites.google.com/vbschools.com/msab/home?scrlybrkr=79014c73

For more information click here: http://bit.ly/MSA_Application

 

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Resources from the Class of 2023 Senior Project Meeting

A huge thank you to the seniors who helped with the senior project gallery on Wednesday night!  The juniors and their parents in attendance left with lots of ideas and information to consider.  The gallery is available in the building for the next week; sophomores and freshmen will access it during their English classes.  You can also access it through the virtual gallery website available by clicking the link in the image below.  Through the hyperlinks in the image below, you can also access a quick reference that provides an overview of the senior project, a link to the MSA Booster page, and access to the Livebinder for the Class of 2023. Parents of current seniors–the Livebinder for the class of 2022 is available through the “Academy Advisor Corner” linked to this blog page and also in the image below.

If you missed last night’s meeting,

you can access a video version of the event through the form linked here.  We are excited for the Class of 2023 to begin their journey and hope that the gallery and senior project meeting help to bring some ideas into focus!