Congratulations to Ward Melville High School senior Joe Sciotto for qualifying to compete in the International Science and Engineering Fair this May. Joe placed first in the Earth and Environmental Sciences category at the Long Island Science and Engineering Fair on March 7. This advances him to the next round of the competition, representing the Long Island region on an international stage.

Joe’s project focuses on studying the mineral content of Martian soils. In conjunction with the exploration being completed by the Mars Rovers, Joe simulated Martian soils here on Earth to build a database to help identify the samples being collected on Mars’ surface. He worked in the laboratory of Dr. Lars Ehm, Professor and Director of the Mineral Physics Institute in the Department of Geosciences at Stony Brook University. It is hoped that Joe’s work will contribute to our understanding of natural soil building processes on Mars leading to future breakthroughs as we expand our endeavors to visit the red planet.

Joe will compete with pre-college research students from around the world at ISEF in Dallas, Texas this May. The district wishes him the best of luck.

Date Added: 3/13/2023