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Written by Stacie M. Waldman

Category: The Goods

Published: 29 May 2014

On May 20th, 2014, more than 30 Scarsdale High School sophomores, juniors, and seniors exhibited their scientific research during poster presentations. In true scientific conference format, students presented their research to interested members of the community, parents, and other students and even answered some lofty "stump-the-student" questions. The lead faculty included Laura Estersohn, Nicole Pisano, and Beth Schoenbrun. David Frank ran the program at the student level.

I had chance to hear some students present their work. Gabe Dolsten, a sophomore, is researching breast cancer tumors and the potential use of chimeric antigen receptors as therapy for certain tumor types. Although scientists have been able to produce chimeric receptors to treat some cancers, they have not been able to do this for breast cancer. Mr. Dolsten hypothesized that targeting certain protein receptors with an existing monoclonal antibody would allow a person's body to produce an immune response and eliminate the protein found in many breast cancer cells. "I'm hoping to enter my research into some science competitions," said Mr. Dolsten, "and there's plenty of opportunity for me to do that through Scarsdale High School." He found his mentor with some help from his dad at Memorial Sloan Kettering.

Signe Forsingdal presented a poster on best practices for sampling salamanders in streams. "Salamanders are indicators of stream health, and stream health is indicative of the overall ecological health of an area," she said. "In fact, a change in stream salamander populations indicates environmental stressors." In order for scientists to study change over time or determine a potential problem, they must be able to collect salamanders effectively and efficiently. The two current methods are: 1. A time-constrained survey, and 2. A quadrat-transect method. These techniques are both effective at sampling salamander populations. Ms. Forsingdal hopes to compare the two methods and report her findings in order to help scientists decide which method to use, allowing them to determine stream health more effectively.

The featured guest speaker for the evening was Dr. Myles Akabas, MD, PhD, a Professor from Albert Einstein whose primary interest is malaria research. In 1973 he graduated from SHS and went to Cornell. He told the room full of science students that he learned much of what he knows about science from playing sports. "Be open to new and unexpected opportunities," he told the group, "and find a mentor." He emphasized the importance of working hard and making the most of the best moments. "You're going to make embarrassing mistakes," he cautioned, "and you just need to move on. Don't let those moments define you." Most importantly, he said, was to "...guard your reputation for honesty and integrity. This is crucial for a scientist. And you need to be creative." He told students that they needed to be willing to ask the questions other people weren't asking and take risks. Dr. Akabas concluded by talking about his own research on malaria. As a killer of millions of people annually, mostly in developing countries, malaria is a major public health problem. Dr. Akabas works with purines in hopes of developing a novel antimalarial drug that kills the parasites directly.

David Frank, SHS class of 2015, then introduced the four senior student presenters: Archana Ram, Sam Huang, Brett Pogostin, and Cindy Du. Two of these presentations are discussed in detail below.

Sam Huang is working to design and produce novel gene therapy for brain diseases.His lab is one of two, worldwide, that conducts gene therapy clinical trials for Batten's Disease. Children with this disease develop severe symptoms at around age 2 and die by age 10 due to the lack of the CLN2 gene. "It's like having a trash can and not being able to empty it. Grey matter and neurons of these children continuously shrink," he said. Gene therapy works to replace defective CLN2 genes to the cells through a vector, namely a virus that is not pathogenic, has a low immune response, and carries long-term gene expression. However, clinical trials thus far have demonstrated only a small improvement for Batten patients using a viral vector. "My goal is to create a more efficient vector for gene delivery to the brain," he said. "This could have the potential to treat any brain related disease," he added. Mr. Huang plans to continue to test his vector using mice.

Cindy Du presented her research on the role of ACSL4 in androgen deprivation therapy resistant prostate cancer. Androgen deprivation therapy is currently used to treat prostate cancer. However, most cases develop resistance. Ms. Du is studying ACSL4 in her lab. "After several experiments, I hypothesized that ACSL4 may be a biomarker or a new target for pharmacologic therapies," she said. She also looked at MicroRNA in her lab to see if it would bind to ACLS4 in order to inhibit prostate cancer growth. "Unfortunately, it did not," she admitted, "and I concluded that the MicroRNAs studied do not appear to regulate ACSL4. However, there is the potential that microRNAs could be used as novel therapies and biomarkers."

The science research students thanked their faculty and the faculty thanked the students with coffee mugs, individualized for each student and their correlating research. Stay tuned for results of upcoming science competitions.

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Written by Stacie M. Waldman

Category: The Goods

Published: 03 June 2014

After a month of intermittent bursts of brown water due to the flushing of the water lines, it's good to know that Scarsdale's most recent water quality report came back with no violations. Here's what you need to know about Scarsdale's current quality status in regards to water.

Where does our water come from?

The Village of Scarsdale receives all of its water from the New York City water supply system. There are direct connections to the Catskills Aqueduct, the Kensico Reservoir and the Delaware Aqueduct. Locally, the water moves through the Ardsley Pump Station and the Reeves Newsom Water Supply Station. All of Scarsdale's water is chlorinated to inhibit bacterial growth. The pH is regularly adjusted and orthophosphate is added for corrosion control treatment. "We have recently completed major renovations of the Reeves Newsom Water Supply Station," said Tony Capicotto, village Superintendent for Water. "We are very proud to say that we have all new pumps in place and kept the water running to the village with minimal disruptions throughout the entire process. And we finished it on time."

What's in our water?

All water, even bottled water, contains contaminants. Although Scarsdale's water tested positive for some contaminants, all levels were below the maximum allowed by New York State. There is the potential for lead to be in your drinking water, but this would be caused by your home's independent plumbing and cannot be tested by the village. According to the water department, "...you can minimize exposure to lead by running the tap for 30 seconds to two minutes before using tap water for cooking or drinking." You can also opt to have your water privately tested http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead. There is a known presence of giardia in the water supply and this is common. Giardia may cause intestinal unrest in some if ingested but can be treated with anti-parasitic agents. People at higher risk include immune-compromised people, infants, and some elderly people, and these people should speak with their physicians about additional precautions to take when consuming water.

How does it taste?

That said, in comparison to other towns in Westchester, Scarsdale's water tastes terrific. On May 7th, Scarsdale was awarded the bronze for best tasting water at the county's annual water taste test, second only to White Plains and Mt. Vernon. Furthermore, last year, the Scarsdale Water Department was commended for its water fluoridation program by Westchester County Health Commissioner Sherlita Amler, MD. Not only has fluoride in the water supply been proven safe, it has been shown to reduce tooth decay in kids by 29% and in adults by 25%.

In fact, our local water tastes so good that local entrepreneurs Elias and Hiche Slubski have begun to filter and bottle water in in Greenburgh and sell it around the country. Called NY20 the Slubskis have a marketing campaign that boasts about the bottle as well as its contents. They call the water "the champagne of waters for the city that never sleeps," and bottle it in a plastic bottle designed by their architect-mom. Apparently "you can feel the spirit of innovation through the comfortable grip of the American-made plastic bottle that doesn't roll around when laying horizontally." New York's great tasting bagels and pizzas are often attributed to the water they're made with, so it will be interesting to see if this "water champagne" takes off as a premium domestic beverage. Next time you shower or brush your teeth, don't take our liquid gold for granted.

So, what about this brown water?

According to Mr. Capicotto, "...all water main flushing is finished!" Water flushing began on April 7th and was completed on May 7th. "It lasts for about a month each spring," said Mr. Capicotto. "We let people know to prepare for it by placing ads in the Scarsdale Inquirer, including alert notices on water bills, and emailing residents." Water flushing improves water quality and prepares the system for higher summer flows. "Your water may be brown for an hour or two, four hours, or not at all," said Mr. Capicotto. Discolored water is caused when sediment is stirred up during water flushing or during a water main break. It's safe to drink, but it many stain clothes so hold off on doing laundry until your water is running clear again. The water quality report recommends running cold water for several minutes to see if it becomes clear. Use a sink in the basement or one near the main water line to the house and check the water hourly.

Why is the county being sued?

The federal government has filed a lawsuit against Westchester County for missing the deadline to have an ultraviolet (UV) treatment process in place at Kensico Dam in violation of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). No illnesses have been reported, but federal guidelines now require UV treatment of water to kill cryptosporidium.

Would Scarsdale have to contribute to potential fines imposed for missing the deadline?

"I'm not sure. It's too early to tell," said Mr. Capicotto. Ned McCormack, Communications Director and Senior Advisor to Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, said that the county is aggressively moving forward to comply with SDWA and will hopefully be completed before the court case is decided. "District One, which includes Scarsdale, is two-thirds in compliance with UV-treated water," Mr. McCormack said. Or in numbers, 100,000 people are receiving water that is not UV-filtered. Over the last couple of years, several plans were proposed to add UV-treatment to District One's water supply. However, these plans were not feasible at they were estimated to cost $100 million. According to McCormack, a new plan that would add two small treatment plants in White Plains at a cost of $9.7 million over two years is currently sitting with county legislators. "This plan would get our district into compliance the quickest for the lowest cost," Mr. McCormack explained. Mr. Astorino's office is awaiting approval of the proposal. "Our water is safe," Mr. McCormack added. "Westchester residents receive some of the most naturally pure water because of the protected watershed; land cannot be developed around the aqueducts. Even people receiving UV-unfiltered water drink water that is routinely tested, filtered, and monitored by the Department of Health." The county is currently defending their position in court.

Do you feel confident about Scarsdale's water quality? Let us know in the comments below.

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Written by Joanne Wallenstein

Category: The Goods

Published: 22 May 2014

Former Village Trustee and Deputy Mayor of Scarsdale Sharon Lindsay passed away on May 21 at Westchester Medical Center. She was 65 years-old and died of complications from liver failure. A resident of Scarsdale for 33 years, Lindsay lived on Mamaroneck Road with her husband George. She raised two children here, Will and Kim, and was expecting her first grandchild in just two weeks.

Bright, classy, smart and eloquent, Lindsay was a vital member of the Scarsdale community with impressive professional credentials and a lengthy resume of community service. Lindsay graduated from Fordham with a BA in Political Science in 1970 and earned a law degree at Harvard Law School in 1973. She worked as a litigation attorney at Milbank, Tweed, Hadley and McCloy and was the former head of litigation and dispute resolution at JPMorgan.

At the time of her death she was the President of the League of Women Voters of Westchester, and served in the past as a trustee of Fordham University, president of the Westchester Symphony Orchestra, president of the Greenacres Neighborhood Association, chair of the Scarsdale Board of Appeals, and trustee and deputy mayor of the Village of Scarsdale. She and her husband George were also longtime members of the Scarsdale Golf Club.

In 2011, when Lindsay failed to earn the nomination of the Scarsdale Citizen's Party for mayor she was drafted to be a write-in candidate to challenge the party's candidate, Miriam Flisser. The campaign galvanized voters, who showed out in record numbers to vote in the Village election. The vote was so contentious that police and poll watchers stood by in Village Hall. Ultimately Lindsay received 136 votes to Flisser's 798, but her campaign brought the Village's one-party system into question.

Speaking to Scarsdale10583 about the election in 2011, Lindsay said, "I was approached by a large number of unhappy residents who expressed a wish for a choice. That is the democratic way and is totally consistent with any election process at any level in our country."

Mayor Robert Steves who was a lifelong friend and colleague of Lindsay's said, "Sharon truly understood what it meant to be a member of a community. She gave to Scarsdale and Greenacres at the highest levels. Her intelligent approach to issues and her energy will be missed. All of Scarsdale should feel a sense of loss." Long-time friend Lynne B. Clark said, "Sharon Lindsay was a shining star in Scarsdale. She used her intelligence, legal expertise, charm, social grace and sense of humor to serve the community with excellence in many endeavors. People accepted her leadership gladly. Her large circle of friends will miss her." Michelle Lichtenberg who worked with Lindsay on the Greenacres Association and the League of Women Voters of Westchester and was also in a book group with Sharon said she will "miss Sharon's keen intelligence, wry sense of humor, infectious laughter and her shining light." Laura Fratt worked with Sharon on the Greenacres Board as well as the Board of the League of Women Voters of Westchester. She said, "Sharon always knew which questions to ask and was very much a people person. So gracious, too."

There will be a receiving line at Bennet's Funeral Home at 824 Scarsdale Avenue in Scarsdale on Friday May 23rd from 1-4 PM for friends to come and pay their respects to Sharon and her family. A memorial service will be planned for a future date. In lieu of flowers, the Lindsay family requests that memorial gifts be directed to Fordham University, Office of Development and University Relations, 888 Seventh Avenue, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10019, Attn: Stewardship. Donors are requested to note that gifts are made in the memory of Sharon Lindsay.