27th Annual Science Research Symposium Article by HS Senior Kaitlin Ho

On June 2, 2025, North Shore High School held its 27th Annual Science Research Symposium in the high school theatre. The evening was introduced by Mr. Steven Menchel (HS Science Teacher Leader) and hosted by Dr. Molly Mordechai (Science Research Educator). Students, families, friends, and administrators gathered to celebrate the hard work and achievements of North Shore’s talented science research students. Additionally, thank you to the guest speaker, John Labbate, who graduated from the North Shore Schools.

Graham Lippert said:

“As the use of pulsed lasers expands into many areas of experimental physics, the ability to control chirped laser pulses is often limited by dissipation resulting from inexpensive equipment. This project attempts to correct for this dissipation by altering the Fourier series of the signal. I tested this method by making a simple, inexpensive circuit. Ultimately, this project aimed to demonstrate a cost-effective method for controlling pulses using computational techniques, allowing researchers to achieve precise pulse shaping without the need for high-speed, expensive electronics.”

Aaryan Vira said:

“I assessed ChatGPT’s ability to create summaries of academic papers for high school research students. I also analyzed prompt wording to optimize prompt design for ChatGPT summaries. The results of my project emphasize the importance of specifying the reading level and research focus of the user when designing summary prompts for ChatGPT, while also highlighting the viability of ChatGPT summaries for gaining a preliminary understanding of research topics.”

Kaitlin Ho said:

“My project, ‘Magnesium Magic: The Rescue of the Parkinson’s Model of Drosophila melanogaster with MgCl₂ Supplementation,’ explored the potential of magnesium chloride in combating the effects of Parkinson’s disease. Using fruit flies as a model, my study revealed that dietary supplementation with magnesium chloride improved neurological health, slowed neuronal degeneration, and increased lifespan. These findings suggest magnesium chloride could delay brain aging and the onset of Parkinson’s disease.”

Eli Weseley-Jones said:

“My research, ‘The Misunderstood Math of Medical Tests: Improving Understanding of Conditional Probability in Screening Tests,’ addressed the challenges patients face in interpreting medical screening results. Inspired by an article on prenatal screening tests by economist Emily Oster, I investigated how presenting medical risk information through diagrams and videos impacted patients’ understanding and anxiety. My study demonstrated that these

visual aids improved comprehension of conditional probabilities but also had unintended effects, such as reducing participants’ likelihood of pursuing additional testing.”

Thank you to all of the senior presenters including Graham Lippert, Aaryan Vira, Eli Weseley-Jones and Kaitlin Ho under the direction of Dr. Mordechai. Additionally, many thanks to all the other high school students who presented their science research boards to their families and members of the audience. Go Vikings Go!

Article by HS student Kaitlin Ho Photos by Shelly Newman