West Islip High School students are getting firsthand experience in scientific research, and their work is now being recognized in a published scientific article. Brian Haldenwang, a West Islip High School science teacher, was recently published as a coauthor on a scientific research article in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health that includes research conducted with his International Baccalaureate biology students and members of the school’s Environmental Club.

The research began in 2022 through a collaboration with Stony Brook University professor Dr. Jaymie Meliker. The project focused on Willett’s Creek in West Islip and examined whether environmental pollutants associated with the nearby DZUS Fastener Superfund site could run off into the creek following periods of heavy rainfall.

Throughout the 2022-23 school year, students participated in authentic field research by collecting water and soil samples from Willett’s Creek one to two days after significant rainstorms. The sampling took place after school and was conducted approximately 10 times throughout the year. Following each collection, Haldenwang transported the samples to Stony Brook University, where they were analyzed by researchers.

The opportunity grew out of work Haldenwang and members of the Environmental Club had already been doing to care for the land surrounding Willett’s Creek following the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s Superfund remediation project in 2019. Dr. Meliker became aware of the students’ work after seeing Haldenwang’s posts about the Environmental Club’s efforts on social media and subsequently reached out to explore a research collaboration.

Perhaps most significantly, the students’ contributions did not end when the samples were delivered to the university. West Islip High School students are credited in the published research article for their contributions to the study, providing them with a unique opportunity to be recognized as contributors to professional scientific research.

The project provided an opportunity to move beyond the classroom and experience the scientific process firsthand: from developing research questions and collecting environmental samples to contributing to work that ultimately became part of the scientific literature. The accomplishment is a testament to the power of authentic, hands-on learning and the opportunities West Islip students have to engage in meaningful research alongside professionals in the field.