YPIE provides a rigorous STEM Institutute through a generous grant from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals. We currently have 30 extremely dedicated and hard-working 10th-12th grade students from across the Yonkers Public high schools who are conducting original science research.
Our Regeneron STEM Scholars research and collect data on their STEM topic of choice during this three-year program, and will earn up to 12 college credits. Our students are bright, talented, and highly responsible, and are already starting to participate and win awards in regional science fairs.
Students spend their first year in the program becoming “experts” on the precise topic of their choice -- whether they are studying a single protein pathway, or how clinical depression may uniquely affect a certain segment of the population.
After receiving approval, students begin reaching out to professionals in their field, then spend their final two years in the program designing, conducting, and presenting the results of their novel experiment.
Every student has the opportunity to study their unique academic passion. Current research projects range from studying the Anthropogenic factors affecting the American Eel migration in the Yonkers’ section of the Saw Mill River to performing research on proteins associated with kidney transplants at Mt. Sinai.
One YPIE student entered the Regeneron Science Talent Search competition this year with her original experiment, entitled: “The Shade and Evapotranspiration Cooling Effects of a Vertical Greenery System (VGS) on Outdoor Wall Temperatures.”
Students are currently gearing up for the Westchester Science and Engineering Fair (WESEF), one of the most rigorous science fairs in the nation. The top 12 students will compete in the International Science and Engineering Fair. For the first time ever, we have four students competing.
Stay tuned for our annual YPIE STEM Symposium on May 28th at our new YPIE College Zone, during which our scholars will present their research in an open poster session.
A crucial component in the performance of authentic science research involves students having the opportunity to work alongside professionals in their field. Access to research opportunities is extremely difficult and competitive, and often completely out of reach for our students. If you may be interested in helping our students on their path to becoming future STEM leaders, please contact Jake Schofield, YPIE Regeneron STEM Institute Manager at JSchofield@ypie.org.