09/23/2022

We are delighted to announce the results of the 2022 Young Investigators Writing Competition! We gratefully thank everyone for participating and congratulate the placing authors.

The Stony Brook Young Investigators Review (SBYIR) envisions a generation of scientific communicators to meaningfully convey the relevance of scientific research to the general public. As such, the Young Investigators Writing Competition (YIWC) is an opportunity for high school students of all communities to adventure into scientific argumentation and evidenced-based communication. We pride ourselves in reaching out to the diverse community and those who may not have had previous scientific writing opportunities. To this end, we greatly appreciate the unique perspectives students bring on contemporary topics. After rigorous anonymized judging of 65 pieces, the following were deemed to represent a high caliber of professional communication, a coherent/analytical construction of scientific evidence, and convincing prose.

• Finalist
  • Biology:
    • Vivian Chen, 10th Grade
  • Computer Science:
    • Shreejita Satpathy, 12th Grade
  • Environmental Science:
    • Jessica Curran, 11th Grade
  • Space Research:
    • Reed Paltrow, 12th Grade
• Semifinalist
  • Biology:
    • Jessica Penna, 11th Grade
    • Jennifer Zhong, 12th Grade
  • Computer Science:
    • Matthew Vo, 12th Grade
  • Environmental Science:
    • Shriyans Singh, 11th Grade
  • Space Research:
    • Charlene Chen, 11th Grade
• Quarter Finalist
  • Biology:
    • Fiona Wong, 11th Grade
    • Emily Smukler, 10th Grade
  • Computer Science:
    • Isabela Nolasco, 10th Grade
  • Environmental Science:
    • Agranil Das, 12th Grade
    • Sanjivani Singh, 11th Grade
  • Space Research:
    • Rina Visvanathan, 12th Grade
• Honorable Mention
  • Biology:
    • Jeremy Ginzburg, 10th Grade
    • Crystal Wu, 10th Grade
    • Sidrah Ashrafi, 11th Grade
    • Naomi Golbin, 11th Grade
    • Sara Maltempi, 11th Grade
    • Mayessy Castro, 11th Grade
    • Jacqueline Rivera, 11th Grade
    • Teruno Hyman, 12th Grade
    • Holy Mary Zaher, 12th Grade
    • Ethan Kim, 12th Grade
    • Marjorie, 12th Grade
  • Environmental Science:
    • Natalie Zellner, 10th Grade
    • Sharon Yi, 12th Grade
    • Gulprit Patwal, 12th Grade
  • Space Research:
    • Caitlin Annan, 11th Grade
    • Savyion Lamour, 11th Grade

09/14/2022

On behalf of SBYIR, we want to thank everyone who participated in this year’s writing competition!

Due to issues with our certificate-making process, results are going to be released later than expected. Thank you to all of you for being patient and understanding but we will keep you updated with this evolving situation.

Nothing in science has any value to society if it is not communicated.

Anne Roe

The ultimate goal of research is to not only learn more about the world around us, but to apply that knowledge in ways that will subsequently benefit society. Scientific research is one of the most important channels of knowledge. It has a specific role, as well as a variety of functions for the benefit of our society: creating new knowledge, improving education, and increasing the quality of our lives. Regardless of whether this research focuses more on the realms of discovery or invention, we have come to realize that there are some controversies in the use of science in society. 

Societies have changed over time, and consequently, so has science. Science must respond to societal needs and global challenges. It is important the public is well-informed about the current developments in science and how these developments impact their daily lives so that they can form their own opinions on these matters. 

However, most literature is written for the academic scholar, often using jargon-filled and dry language that can be difficult for most to grasp. Our mission is to embrace and capture the essence of scientific controversies and present it to the public in a straightforward manner. In order to keep society informed about these developments, we need to give it a “human face” and tell the story of science in simple and accessible ways that people can relate to.

For this writing competition, you may choose one of four controversies in science. Your goal is to write a 750-1000 word article in newspaper or literature review format that describes and evaluates the controversy for the general high-school educated public.

Your writing should not only accurately articulate the issue and the science behind it, but it should be understandable and engaging. In evaluating the topic, you should carefully explain key sides of the argument. Though you are encouraged to think critically, you should still give credence to opposing arguments. You can find more of our rules and guidelines here and the full prompts here.