2015-16 Eastern Section
Junior Science and Humanities Symposium Sub-Regional
Supervising Teacher Checklist
Date: Saturday January 30, 2016
Snow Date February 6, 2016 (I will call you Jan 30 if needed)
Burnt Hills- Ballston Lake High School
Supervising Teachers: Please print this form and use it as a guide. It is imperative the following
guidelines are followed. If any submitted paper or abstract is not properly formatted or is missing
certifications, it will not be considered in this competition. Please note- only 1 copy of paper with all 3
certification forms in the back of the paper is to be sent to Donna Mooney at the Academy of the Holy
Names. Finalists will submit a pdf at a later time.
Official Student Application with abstract and School Registration Submission (Reals)
(Postmarked by December 15, 2015. Please note that student application and school registrations are sent
to Regina Reals. Papers only, are sent to Donna Mooney.)
Forms required:
- Complete student application form on-line (no hand written forms will be accepted)
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Please see http://www.albany.edu/jshs for registration forms
- Complete typed abstract- must adhere to 200 word maximum, see below
Complete School Registration – include all applying students’ names and
supervising teachers’ information
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Mail all complete student application forms and the School Registration form
in one package to:
Regina Reals, Eastern Section JSHS
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Burnt Hills – Ballston Lake HS
88 Lakehill Road
Burnt Hills, NY 12027
Research Papers (Mooney)
(Postmarked by December 15, 2015)
Each student needs to submit the following:
- 1 copy of their research paper
- Include a cover page with student name, school name and project title
Papers must include an abstract paragraph in the beginning of the paper
SEE NEXT 2 PAGES for Abstract formatting.
Papers are to be enclosed in a plastic cover with slide on spine
(no paper clips, staples or folders)
- Paper must include as the last pages the following completed certification pages:
Student Certification Page
Teacher Certification Page
Scientist/Mentor Certification Page
- Supervising Teacher double checks students’ formatting of paper
- Mail all student papers in one box to:
Donna Mooney, Eastern Section JSHS
Academy of the Holy Names
1075 New Scotland Road
Albany, NY 12208
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(students who submit papers separately will not be considered)
Schools will receive an email listing selected speakers as well as final procedures,
including fees ($25 per competitor, $10 visitor with lunch, 1 teacher lunch free) and lunch selections, mid January.
Thank you once again for your time. We look forward to an exciting and enriching day.
Student Presenter Guidelines: Preparing
Your Abstract
Preparing Your Abstract
Formatting: completed in Word, 200 word maximum, 1 inch margins, keyed in 12 point font (Times
New Roman). Abstracts must be adequate in length but not exceed these specifications. The header
preceding the abstract body must include the captions:
Title:
Author:
School:
Teacher:
Mentor(s):
Genetic Transformation of Sweet Potato
Jane Einstein
Anywhere High School
Mrs. Georgiana Spallanza
Mr. Joseph Pascale, Albany Medical College note: please include affiliation
Skip one line
Abstract Body goes here
(there is an example below).
The abstract should accurately convey the essential nature of the research conducted and the most
significant conclusions reached. A further purpose of the abstract is to attract the interest and curiosity
of the non-specialist reader and thus encourage exchange, discussion, and elaboration between various
authors and between authors and readers.
Content
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

What you did, how you did it, what it means, why you did it and what you found.
Citing of experimentation completed by submission date (anticipated experimentation or results
should not be included.
Reference to a specific procedure should be restricted to a description of the process employed.
State results, conclusions or findings clearly and concisely.
Credit any financial sponsorship at the end of the abstract: “Research supported by …”
Abstract Sample (headings modified for sub-regional)
The following sample abstract is typed in TIMES NEW ROMAN – 12 point with one
inch margins.
Title:
Author:
School:
Teacher:
Mentor(s):
Genetic Transformation of Sweet Potato
Jane Einstein
Anywhere High School
Mrs. Georgiana Spallanza
Mr. Joseph Pascale, Albany Medical College
Sweet potato is considered the sixth most important food crop in the world and has high nutritional
value for humans. However, pests, diseases and environmental factors prevent the crop from reaching
its maximum agricultural potential. Improvement of the sweet potato is highly limited by conventional
breeding methods. Recombinant DNA technology offers a means for manipulation of the sweet potato
genome to integrate valuable traits. Critical parameters of the electroporation (voltage of current and
digestion of cell wall) and particle bombardment (helium pressure and gold particle distribution) were
examined for efficient DNA transfer. Electroporation resulted in less damage and higher recovery of
tissue after DNA delivery compared to particle bombardment. Transformed cells were identified with
two marker genes: Beta-glucoronidase (GUS) and Green Florescent Protein (GFP). Cells expressing
GFP were easily identified due to uniform protein distribution, and allow the monitoring of the cell
development pattern, unlike cells expressing the GUS gene. Using the optimized conditions derived
from the present study, sweet potato can be genetically improved for increased crop productivity and
nutritional value.