Central High School senior Katie Mazalkova, who earned national honors in the 2014 Siemens Competition in Math, Science and Technology, recently received an honorary citation award from Town of Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray in recognition of her accomplishment.
Mazalkova and her research partner, Jericho High School student William Crugnola, earned praise for their research project titled “Aortic derived mesenchymal stem cells: A novel treatment for atherosclerosis cessation.” At Molloy College laboratories, Mazalkova studied the immune response of macrophage cells that causes plaque buildup and can ultimately contribute to the development of heart disease. Understanding the interaction between this response and a specific line of stem cells found in the heart can be used to discover new ways to treat and cure atherosclerosis.
Mazalkova and Crugnola were awarded a $30,000 scholarship for the team category at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. They will share the award.
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