Mahopac High School Students Take First In Competition At Science Fair

MAHOPAC, N.Y. -- Mahopac High School seniors Gabe Burchett, Heather Gorodess and Steven Pike won first place in the Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Northeast and Mid-Atlantic Science Fair at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Visitor Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. 

They won the award for their research project, titled Winter’s Impact on New York City’s Drinking Water.

MHS students Alissa Copeland and Lorene Stasiuk also presented their research project, titled Effects of Floating Islands on Water 

Temperature in a Storm Water Basin, at the competition. Both sets of students were invited to the GLOBE fair to present their research on the water quality of the SEAC Creek in front of the school that is part of the Croton Watershed, which feeds into the New York City Reservoir. A panel of NASA judges rated the presentations.

The Mahopac students said it was thrilling to be in the company of such renowned scientists.

“Being in the presence of NASA scientists was really inspiring,” said Burchett. The students also toured the NASA Space Flight Facility and heard presentations from scientists. “We got to go behind the scenes to where they build the satellites,” said Copeland.

The Northeast and Mid-Atlantic Science Fair was funded by the National Science Foundation. The GLOBE Program is funded by NASA and the National Science Foundation.

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