H.S. Student Does Research at FSC… and Wins National Recognition

January 18, 2019

(L-R) Juliana Condoleo and Dr. Lisa Prazak-Stockwell

Dr. Lisa Prazak-Stockwell, assistant professor of biology, knew she had a winner in Juliana Condoleo, a Lynbrook, L.I. high school student who interned at FSC this past summer, conducting laboratory research with Dr. Prazak-Stockwell and Dr. Azad Gucwa.

“Juliana is an exceptional student who brought her experience of the assay to the lab, and was self sufficient from the beginning,” said Dr. Prazak-Stockwell. “Her drive, knowledge, and capabilities have allowed her to function well above that of a high school student, which is very impressive. She is at home in the lab and comfortable with the techniques, and brought new insight to this project.”

And Juliana – named a Top 300 Scholar in the Regeneron Science Talent Search – was equally impressed with the people and facilities at FSC.

“Both the faculty and facilities at Farmingdale State College exceeded my expectations. Dr. Prazak-Stockwell was an incredible mentor who was always willing to answer my questions and guide me along the research, and was very accommodating to my schedule. I have learned so much from her and I am beyond grateful to have gotten the opportunity to do research with, and learn from, her.”

The research project was to understand the role of the protein Ack1 in memory, utilizing fruit flies as a model.

“Ack1 has already been implicated in several cancers, and we were interested in studying its role in memory and neurobiology,” said Dr. Prazak-Stockwell .

The Regeneron Science Talent Search is the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science and mathematics competition for high school seniors. For being named a Top 300 Scholar, Juliana won $2,000, for herself and her school.