03/04/2017: From Dr. Lagnado- For Immediate Press Release

Westbury High School's Behavioral Science Research program continues to set a high bar for student achievement

For Immediate Press Release

Message from Dr. Lagnado, Superintendent of Schools:

Now in its third full year, Westbury High School's Behavioral Science Research program continues to set a high bar for student achievement. Once again, our students have been invited to present their original research at the prestigious Association for Psychological Science (APS) Convention in May.  This year's APS Convention, a gathering of several thousand of the most prominent academics and researchers from the world of psychology, will be held in Boston, Massachusetts. The students - Krista Davey '17, Karen Aguilar '18, and Chrissy West '18 - will be presenting research posters alongside undergraduate and graduate students from all over the country.  Only a handful of precollegiate researchers have ever been invited to present as first authors before such an august body. Previous Westbury presenters have included Jeslie Flores '16, Danielle Pitter '15 and Gabriella Reyes '15. 

Karen and Chrissy's work is ongoing. As their research progresses, they will also submit to the Regeneron (formerly Intel) Science Talent Search in November.  STS is one of the most prestigious competitions in the country and has been referred to as the “Junior Nobel Prize.”  Because they are still juniors, in addition to STS, Chrissy and Karen will compete in this April's Long Island Science Congress and next January's Long Island Psychology Fair. Over 100 of the best behavioral research students from Long Island apply to Psych Fair; 30 projects are chosen. Merely completing and submitting a project of such sophistication is an enormous accomplishment, especially in light of the myriad athletic and co-curricular commitments Ms. Aguilar, Ms. Davey and Ms. West routinely juggle.  After untold hours of determination and research, our Westbury High School heroines have not only completed remarkable projects, Krista, Karen and Chrissy have been identified as special by one of the two most heralded professional psychology associations.  The students fully realize how much this opportunity to "learn by doing" will mean to their readiness to excel from day one at whatever college they choose to attend. With the help of faculty advisor and Social Studies teacher Mrs. Caitlin Vicchiarelli and Behavioral Science Consultant Dr. Stephen Sullivan, the sky's the limit.  A special thanks to the Board of Education for their continued support since the inception of this program. 

Krista Davey

Hippocampal Volume as a Predictor of Memory Function in Women

Karen Aguilar

Pathological Video-Game Use Among Minority Adolescents

Chrissy West

Inequality in High School Students' Perceptions of School Support