Shaker High School junior Ishika Yalamanchi is making waves in the world of science research. Ishika recently earned first place and highest honors in the Senior Division at the Science Teachers Association of New York State (STANYS) Science Congress, held June 8 at the Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science & Technology in Syracuse.
Ishika’s research focuses on the body’s immune response during acute inflammatory conditions like sepsis, where excessive inflammation can lead to leaky blood vessels and organ failure. Her goal? To find a way to reduce the severity of that immune response without weakening the body’s ability to fight injury. Over the past year, Ishika has been working with Dr. Alejandro Adam at Albany Medical College and SHS’s own Science Research Teacher, Mr. Nathaniel Covert, studying how the cytokine IL-6 can trigger this dangerous overreaction. Together, they identified a noncanonical signaling pathway, a less common route cells may use to communicate, which could be targeted with future immunotherapies to better treat severe infections.
Earlier this year, Ishika also competed at the Greater Capital Region Science and Engineering Fair at RPI, where she received third honorable mention. That success helped her advance to the STANYS Science Congress. Like all STANYS competitors, Ishika was awarded an all-expenses-paid trip to Syracuse for the event. Ishika traveled to Syracuse with 11 other SHS students and was one of seven SHS students to win a prize at the event. She also had the opportunity to connect with fellow young scientists from across the state.
What’s next for Ishika? She’ll be continuing her research full-time in a lab this summer, learning new microbiology techniques and plans to host science workshops for younger students in the community.
Congratulations, Ishika! All of us at North Colonie are incredibly proud of your achievements and we can’t wait to see what you do next year as a senior!