Hauppauge, NY: At the December 6th general meeting, Legislator Stephanie Bontempi (R-18th L.D.) recognized four young scientists from the Cold Spring Harbor Central School District for their work on mosquito DNA sequencing. The DNA information compiled by Sophie Cohen, Veronica Walkin, Jenna Schetty and Madison Brass is of such high quality that it will be published in a database of the National Center for Biotechnology Information, a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
“To say that these young ladies are inspiring is an understatement,” said Bontempi. “The fact that such an accomplishment was achieved before even graduating high school is mind boggling. At this rate, these students are without question on track to even greater contributions to the field of science in the very near future.”
Once the collective DNA work is entered into the NIH’s database, it will be accessible to other scientists who can potentially utilize it for applications and further studies. Therefore, in a very real sense, this contribution to the field will be a perpetual testament to the talent and devotion of the students, as well as to the guidance of their teachers.
“There are a lot of naysayers surrounding the up-and-coming generations,” added Bontempi. “All one has to do is look at these individuals and he or she will immediately realize that we will be in good and capable hands in the years to come.”
To learn more about the NIH’s National Center for Biotechnology Information, visit: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/.