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Photos of NJ Agriscience winners - Click to enlarge
For Immediate Release: November 21, 2012
Contact: Lynne Richmond
(609) 633-2954

(TRENTON) – Biotechnology High School FFA members placed first in three of the 24 Agriscience Fair categories, second in four of the categories, and third in one of the categories at the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana, in October.

The Agriscience Fair is a competition for FFA members who are interested in the science and technology of agriculture.  It is held annually at the national convention.

“We are proud of the Biotechnology FFA members, whose intense science and math coursework helped them excel in agriscience on the national level,” said New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher.  “Advanced science, math and technology skills are necessary for New Jersey agriculture to stay competitive.”

The competition recognizes students studying the application of scientific principles and emerging technologies in agricultural enterprises.  The students conduct a scientific research project pertaining to the agriculture and food science industries and present their findings to a panel of judges with a display and report.   Twenty-one Biotech students participated in the Fair’s pre-qualification round after placing first in the state event held last spring and fifteen students advanced to the national competition. 

Biotechnology High School, in Freehold Township, is part of the Monmouth County Vocational School District.  The school has one of New Jersey’s newer FFA chapters, chartered in 2006. 

First Place Awards:

Food Products and Processing Systems, Division 2 – Kevin Kenneally of Freehold for the project “The Antibacterial Properties of Honey from Different Floral Sources.”

Plant Systems, Division 4 – Lakshmi Iyengar of Holmdel and Michelle Zhao of Marlboro for the project “Natural Cream for the Crop?”

Power, Structural and Technical Systems, Division 4 – Danny Greenberg of Colts Neck and Gianna Tempera Colts Neck of for the project “Effect of Various Light-Focusing Techniques on the Electrical Output of a Solar Cell.”

Second Place Awards

Food Products and Processing Systems, Division 4 – William Wang of Holmdel and Donna Kwon of Morganville for the project “Synergism of Polyphenolic Plants with Ampicillin against Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria.”

Plant Systems, Division 2 – Rebecca Barresi of Little Silver for the project “Super Crops: Protoplast Isolation and Fusion of Various Crop Plants.”

Environmental Services/Natural Resources Systems, Division 4 – Alyssa Cendagorta of Middletown and Bhavani Taramangalam of Freehold for the project “The Effect of Bacillus subtilis on the Growth Rate and Condition of Arabidopsis thaliana.”

Animal Systems, Division 2 – Ananya Sureshkumar of Manalapan for the project “The Efficacy of Probiotics against Intestinal Pathogens.”

Third Place Awards

Plant Systems, Division 3 – Connor O’Leary and Patrick Rogers, both of Manasquan, for the project “The Effect of Household Acids and Grey Water on Pea Plant Viability.”

New Jersey has 35 FFA chapters with 2,528 members this school year.