Northport High School senior Luke Frisoli, whose question was selected for the “Celebrating Science in a Fractured Society” event at Stony Brook University. Photo courtesy of the Northport-East Northport UFSD.
Northport High School student Luke Frisoli engaged leaders of the scientific community with a not-so-simple question of his own earlier this week: “In your experience as educators, to what realistic extent does higher education propagate popular acceptance of scientific principles and remediation of anti-scientific sentiments?”
The question, which Luke asked live during an April 12 event called “Celebrating Science in a Fractured Society,” was one of just two student questions selected for the event. Hosted by Stony Brook University in conjunction with the Della Pietra Family and the Simons Center for Geometry and Physics, the event aimed to start a conversation about how science can bring about change and curiosity. High school students were encouraged to submit questions for the event speakers, which included some of the world’s most prominent scientists and pioneers in their fields, including Neil deGrasse Tyson, S. James Gates Jr., Brian Greene, David J. Gross, Clifford V. Johnson and the Honorable Shirley Ann Jackson.
Several seniors in Northport High School teacher Greg Guido’s IB Physics course submitted questions in the contest, with Luke Frisoli’s question being accepted. His selection earned him and his family VIP seats to the event along with a $100 prize.