Long Island Regional Planning Council (LIRPC) hosted the 2024 Long Island Water Quality Challenge; a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) competition presented by the LIRPC in partnership with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

Walt Whitman students participated and we’re proud to congratulate sophomore Aryaa Shah and freshman John Iemma for their proposal, “Microfiltrating Downspout Diverter,” that was selected as one of the esteemed winners of the 2024 competition! 

It was noted that the proposals were all very competitive this year and the committee received the highest number of submissions since the program began five years ago. “I am so proud of the work that our students are doing and how far our research program has come,” shared Walt Whitman High School Principal Dr. John Murphy. “The work that Fred Feraco and John Karavias have done speaks volumes as to the care and commitment [they] have to the students and overall research program at Walt Whitman High School.”

As winners, Aryaa and John will receive official Certificates of Achievement, along with the option to receive a grant of up to $2,500. This grant is provided to Walt Whitman High School to be used exclusively toward the implementation or partial implementation of the proposed project. 

With Aryaa’s interest in collecting safe-to-use water and water filtration using mycelium, and John’s research relating to mycelium and mushrooms, their teachers Fred Feraco and John Karavias recommended they pair up for this project. The students’ proposal promotes project-based learning in STEM and has helped them develop a greater understanding of how their classroom curriculum can be applied to protecting Long Island’s crucial water resources – with a specific focus on reducing or eliminating nitrogen pollution.

Congratulations to Aryaa and John on your outstanding work in the 2024 Long Island Water Quality Challenge!