Dr. Tu and The Stuy MAPS Team present at the NYC MAPS/SMART Team Conference

Dr. Tu and The Stuy MAPS Team present at the NYC MAPS/SMART Team Conference

Dr. Meng-Ping Tu shares that on May 19th, the Stuyvesant MAPS Team presented their work at the NYC MAPS/SMART Team conference hosted by Stuyvesant. The team, which is in its first year, was co-founded by juniors Lauren Pehlivanian, Sherry Chen, and Elizabeth Doss, and is mentored by biology teacher Dr. Tu. Members Talia Kahan, Justin Lam, Nelson Liu, Leonard Ma, Kristoff Misquitta, Michael Nath, and Benson Weng spent the year studying the membrane channel protein aquaporin, and created a poster and model discussing aquaporin-4, which is found in the brain. They also 3D printed their model using printers in the Innovation Lab with the help of Mr. Chris Suter. The team presented their poster and 3D-printed model at the conference alongside other high schools. At the conference, Dr. Davida Smyth, Associate Professor of Natural Sciences at the New School, gave a lecture on the human microbiome and its interactions with the built environment. (photo courtesy of Dr. Tu)