Independent Study and Research Opportunities

In mid-November, six King students attended the Girls Advancing In STEM (GAINS) conference in what was the first in-person gathering for the community since the coronavirus pandemic. The event, which took place at Yale University, spanned three days during which high school girls interested in STEM connected with role models working in STEM fields.

Throughout his time in the King Upper School, Tommy Heaton ’23 developed an interest in credit cycles, the recurring economic phases of borrowing and lending. After parsing decades of minutes from the Federal Reserve’s meetings and finding patterns in recessions, he distilled his findings into a research paper that is garnering attention. 

Students at King School successfully bred an endangered amphibian. The eventful arrival of the three red-banded dart tadpoles took place inside a student-built vivarium that was transformed to reflect their habitat. 

Bringing to life King’s commitment to an inquiry-based approach to education, six upper school students spoke about their experience applying inquiry and research to different areas and disciplines, including sciences, humanities, visual and performing arts, and athletics at the annual State of the School presentation.

King student Ben Persily ’23, placed fourth at the Connecticut Science & Engineering Fair (CSEF) in March for his research using stem cells and prime editing to study and correct the genetic mutations that cause cystic fibrosis. Ben’s accomplishment put him on the podium, standing out from over 600 students who participated in the state-wide fair. The success also meant that a student from King School would represent the Connecticut delegation at the International Science & Engineering Fair (ISEF) for the first time. 

The Upper School Science Fair was back in the gymnasium this year after a two-year pause. Upper school students in Honors Biology, Honors Chemistry, Honors Physics, and the ASPIRE program participated in two sessions held on May 12 to present their research to peers, faculty, family, and special guests. 

“I love mentoring science fair projects for beginning students. Their excitement for trying new things is always refreshing. My favorite moments are when they shift from fear and nervousness about doing something new to excited and confident after they get results and realize it’s not that hard, and then they’ve learned a new skill,” said Director of Science Research Victoria Schulman. 

A crowd of lower school students looked up in awe as a bottle rocket launched to near ceiling height at the Lower School Science Fair. Using a pressure pump, Ella Mendez ’29 and Ella McKee ’29 hypothesized that the more air pressure they added into a soda bottle, the higher the bottle will rocket upwards. The students learned that there were other variables that impact the height of the bottle such as its angle at launch and the force of gravity. The fair, which took place on April 28, presented new innovative ideas from the fifth grade class.

Six students from the Advanced Science Program for Independent Research and Engineering (ASPIRE) delayed their spring break plans to qualify for the final round of the 2022 Connecticut Science and Engineering Fair (CSEF). The effort proved to be worthwhile for the students, who advanced through higher levels of competition and brought home numerous awards from the event.

Ben Persily ’23 won several distinctions for his research exploring whether prime editing in stem cells could be used to correct the well-characterized mutation that causes cystic fibrosis. Among other awards, he earned one of only seven prestigious spots on the Connecticut delegation to the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF).