AC Senior’s Medical Neural Network Research Wins Regional and State Science Fair Awards

Posted on March 23rd, 2018 by Allendale Columbia School

by Rui “Tony” Zhou 

I participated in the Terra Rochester-Finger Lakes Regional Science & Engineering Fair last Sunday and the New York State Science and Engineering Fair at New York Hall of Science last Monday. It was an extremely rewarding experience not just because I won many awards.

My project involves creating a Deep Convolutional Neural Network that detects and analyzes lung nodules in CT scans, that is, using the lasted Artificial Intelligence techniques for Computer-Aided Diagnosis. I started this project last summer, at a lab in Tsinghua University, the top-ranked university in China. Then I continued with this project though AC’s Science Writing and Research Class. Currently, I’m still adjusting and optimizing the neural network structure in an effort to create a system that can better assist doctors and radiologists. The fundamental motivation for me in doing this research lies in its hope to fight against regionalized healthcare because this is a system that is applicable to most CT scanners throughout the world. We hope to bring more accurate diagnosis, and, thus, reduce the misdiagnosis rates while increase the earliness of lung cancer diagnosis.

Despite the excitement of doing two science fairs in 48 hours, it was an eye-opening experience to meet and talk with other young researchers, and I was kindled by their passions and how they are striving to improve the world we live in though their own efforts.

 

Kristin Cocquyt

Rui Zhou

Rui, or Tony, as he is known around school, is a senior from Jiangsu, China, who has enjoyed the numerous STEM opportunities at AC. While he's waiting for his college decisions, he's sure he will be majoring in computer science next year.
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Posted in: Centers for Impact, Eleventh Grade, Entrepreneurship, Global Engagement, Highlights, Invent, MS Birches, Ninth Grade, Tenth Grade, The Birches, Twelfth Grade, Upper School, US Birches

Ideas Pitched in Mindset to Skill Set Class

Posted on January 12th, 2018 by Allendale Columbia School

Students in the Upper School elective Mindset to Skillset gave 2-minute pitches on their business plans or researched case studies in front of a panel of local business people on Tuesday, January 9th. Some Research Topics were: fashion, restaurants in China, and high end cameras. Some of the business plans presented by these budding entrepreneurs included full-service therapy (from physical to mental), cost-effective durable backpacks made of innovative material, and recycled technology. The class has been taught by Hybrid Learning Coordinator Tony Tepedino and Amy Oliveri, Director of AC’s Center for Entrepreneurship.

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Posted in: Centers for Impact, Eleventh Grade, Entrepreneurship, Highlights, Invent, Ninth Grade, Tenth Grade, The Birches, Twelfth Grade, Upper School, US Birches

AC Students Presenting at Science Writing and Research Symposium April 28th

Posted on April 28th, 2017 by Allendale Columbia School
AC students are presenting their research at the Science Writing and Research class’s research symposium on Friday, April 28th, 2017, and the event is open to the public. This is the culminating event for 3+ quarters of work. This class is a “post-AP” class that is all about students conducting their own independent, original research. They have:
  • formulated their own research questions
  • identified and recruited an expert advisor from AC or the community at large
  • researched current understanding and background on their topics
  • written a research proposal in which they designed their own experiments to test their hypotheses
  • conducted their research
  • performed their own statistical analyses to draw conclusions on their hypotheses.
  • written up their findings in the style of a peer-reviewed scientific journal (still in progress!)
  • created, revised, and refined the presentations
If you have the time Friday, the students would love to see you. Presentations will be taking place in rooms 101 and 105 of the Wegmans School of Nursing at SJFC. The schedule and a map are below.
Room Time Presenter Title
Nursing 101 800-825 Germaine Gu The Mathematical Model Behind Storable Votes and Quadratic Votes
Nursing 101 830-855 Nate Morse Frequency Conversion Crystal Designs for Improved Ultraviolet Power Balance on the 60-Beam OMEGA Laser
Nursing 101 855-905 Break
Nursing 101 905-930 Alivia Martin Spinal Deformities of the Equine Population in Relation to Weight
Nursing 101 935-1000 Nadia Linton Observations of Skeletal Traumas Made from Medieval Bladed Weapons
Nursing 101 10-1010 Break
Nursing 101 1010-1035 Luke Nicosia The Effects of Food Cues on Students’ Overall Performance and Attentiveness on Exams
Nursing 101 1040-1105 Dylan Dailor Does the Mind In the Eyes Test Work as a Predictor for Autism Spectrum Disorders?
Nursing 101 1105-1115 Break
Nursing 101 1115-1140 Leeore Intrator Pilot Study to Understand Focus and Creativity in the Brain Using EEG
Nursing 101 1145-1205 Cecilia Esterman Mixed Solvent Studies of Squaraines for Use in Organic Photovoltaics
Nursing 101 1215-100 Lunch
100-130 Attend opening of SJFC Event
Nursing 105 130-155 Mason Grimes Using an Evolutionary Program to Model Organic Population Evolution
Nursing 105 200-225 Jeremy Abbott Injection-based Electromagnetic Railgun: Theoretical Versus Actual Results

St. John Fisher College Map

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Posted in: Centers for Impact, Eleventh Grade, Highlights, Invent, Ninth Grade, Tenth Grade, Twelfth Grade, Upper School