Shoreham-Wading River High School science research students continue to gain valuable research skills in a joint effort with Brookhaven National Laboratory’s SPARK (Student Partnerships for Advanced Research and Knowledge) program.

Working with educators, researchers and students from area districts, and with Shoreham-Wading River science research teacher Dana Schaefer, the student-scientists conducted experiments at the National Synchrotron Light Source II at Brookhaven National Laboratory to collect data on artifacts from two individual shipwrecks located in the Peconic Bay and offshore on the South Fork.

Students are using the collected information about elements present in hardware and wood samples from these shipwrecks to identify the impact of biological and chemical degradation on both the ship itself and the surrounding aquatic environment. Additional independent projects will involve phytoremediation by various sea grasses, identification of pharmaceutical contaminants in local water systems and reestablishment of native plant species around the Shoreham-Wading River High School campus pond.