Knightly News

Photo: Pictured from left to right: (Back) Hayden Willett, Trey Lambert, Akshay Basireddy, Carter McLean, Thomas O’Connor, and Ahebwa Muhumuza; (Front) Tanvi Dhaka, Ivy Jiang, Caroline Chick, and Logan Beane

Episcopal students in the ESTAAR (Episcopal Students Take Action in Advanced Research) program attended the Junior Science and Humanities Symposium in Shreveport, Louisiana to present their research to a panel of expert professors at LSU Health Shreveport.

ESTAAR is a two-year program where students learn about the ethics and methodologies behind research their junior year and complete a summer research project with a college professor in the summer before their senior year. In the fall of their senior year, they write a scientific paper of their findings and present the paper at a conference and at LAUNCH. The program is an excellent learning experience for students interested in a variety of fields such as biomedical research, physics, chemistry, and engineering.

At JSHS, five seniors (Akshay Basireddy, Caroline Chick, Tanvi Dhaka, Carter McLean and Thomas O’Connor) and one junior (Ivy Jiang) presented their work to professors and other high school students involved in research. Seniors Aadit Narayanan and Anthony Modica were also selected to present at JSHS but were unable to attend. The junior members of the ESTAAR program (Logan Beane, Trey Lambert, Ahebwa Muhumuza, and Hayden Willet) accompanied the presenters to gain exposure to different research topics.

The research topics of the Episcopal students are as follows:

Aadit Narayanan – “Manipulation of Glutamate Neurotransmitters in the VTA and their effect on Habituation”

Akshay Basireddy – “Evaluation of Staining Methods for Analysis of Cortical Bone Geometry”

Caroline Chick – “Bioturbation by Razor Clams (Siliqua Patula) and Moon Snails (Naticidae) and its Effect on Oxygen”

Tanvi Dhaka – “Modeling Untruncated Staphylococcal Superantigen-like Proteins 3 & 4 using I-TASSER”

Ivy Jiang – “Eureka! Finding Rulers & Protractors @ Stonehenge”

Carter McLean – “Methodologies for the Fabrication of Chiral and Achiral Micro- and Nanopyramids”

Anthony Modica – “The Effect of Bioturbators on the Enumeration of Bacteria and Viruses in Aquatic Sediment”

Thomas O’Connor – “Examination of the Effect of Insured Status on Disparities in Access to Healthcare Services and Providers in Louisiana”

JSHS is an important learning experience because it requires presenters to clearly communicate their often highly specialized research to an unfamiliar audience. Additionally, participants are able to interact with students with similar interests from schools from around the state. The students were accompanied by Episcopal teachers Mrs. Sarah Pulliam (Science Department Chair) and Dr. Jeff McLean (ESTAAR teacher).

Carter McLean serves as the Honor Council and National Honor Society presidents as well as a Student Vestry member for Episcopal School of Baton Rouge. He is a senior who has attended Episcopal for all four years of high school, and enjoys participating in the Cross Country and Track and Field programs as well as Quiz Bowl. This year, he completed summer research at LSU as a member of the school’s ESTAAR (Episcopal Students Taking Advanced Action in Research) program. 

The Episcopal School of Baton Rouge 2025-2026 application is now available! ​For more information on the application process, to schedule a tour, or learn more about the private school, contact us at [email protected] or 225-755-2685.