Supervisor Rich Schaffer recently announced the winners of the 2015 Babylon Covantage EcoTech scholarships at the Town of Babylon’s Annual Earth Day Celebration, where sixth grader Ethan Schubart of Babylon Memorial Grade School was awarded the first place prize of $1,000 for his project researching the effect that gas powered leaf blowers have on air quality. Ethan was praised by Supervisor Schaffer and Covanta’s Mark O’Brien for his dedicated research and displaying substantial knowledge on the subject. Joining Supervisor Schaffer were Deputy Supervisor Tony Martinez, Councilwoman Jackie Gordon, Councilman Tom Donnelly, New York State Senator Michael Venditto, Assemblywoman Kimberly Jean-Pierre and Assistant Deputy Suffolk County Executive Tim Sini.
The Babylon Covantage EcoTech scholarship contest is a public/private partnership between the Town and Covanta Energy, which operates the energy-from-waste facility in West Babylon. It is designed to encourage students who are studying environmental science to focus on renewable energy sources, greenhouse gas reduction, development of alternative building materials or any other means to reduce global warming and environmental degradation. 2015 is the 8th consecutive year that these scholarships have been awarded.
The full list of winners for the 2015 Babylon Covantage EcoTech are as follows:
• 1st Place - $1,000: Ethan Schubart – Babylon Memorial Grade School
? “Do gas powered leaf blowers affect air quality?”
• 2nd Place - $750: Owen Rosenberg – Copiague Middle School
? “What are the Smarter Solutions to Beach Erosion and Coastal Flooding?”
• 3rd Place - $500: Alonzo Tabada - North Babylon High School
? “Determining the most effective environmental stressor that induces triacylglycerol production in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Cells”
• 4th Place – $300: Ryan Cosgro – Babylon High School
? “Determining the optimal conditions for bio-lipid production in Chlorell pyrenoidosa”
• 5th Place - $200: Nathalia Rodriguez – Lindenhurst Middle School
? “Oil Spills Be Gone! Using Nanotechnology to Clean Up Oil Spills”
• 6th Place - $175: Jackson Bright – Copiague Middle School
? “Which household oil is an effective substitute for biodiesel fuel?”
• 7th Place - $125: Jessica Davies – Lindenhurst Middle School
? “Super Storm Sandy's Effect on Aquatic Life”
• Honorable Mention - $100: Abigail Romero - Copiague Middle School
? “How is it possible to eat the same plant over and over again?”
• Honorable Mention - $100: Lacy McIntyre – Copiague Middle School
? “Food Deserts“
• Honorable Mention - $100: Hallie Feldman - Deer Park School District
? “Hydroponics: Where's the Soil?”