Local Students, Teachers Become NSLS Researchers Through InSynC Program

Three Long Island science classes used powerful x-rays at the National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS) last week in experiments that they designed and controlled, without ever leaving the classroom. As the first participants to be allocated beam time through the Introducing Synchrotrons into the Classroom (InSynC) program, students and teachers from Elwood-John Glenn High School, Sachem East High School, and Islip Middle School conducted two environmental experiments: one examines how biofilms from bacteria, algae, and fungi might be used to clean up toxic levels of copper in fresh water (John Glenn and Sachem East), and the other compares the effectiveness of several popular home water filters (Islip).

InSynC

InSynC founders, counterclockwise from bottom, Tony Lanzirotti, Scott Bronson, and Lisa Miller, talk via webcast with students from Islip Middle School along with BNL science writer Kendra Snyder (top left) and Newsday reporter Joye Brown (bottom left).

After sending their samples to NSLS, the students watched via webcast as scientists probed the samples with micrometer-sized x-ray beams. The classes will continue to discuss their results with NSLS scientists in the coming weeks.

2011-2202  |  INT/EXT  |  Newsroom