Long Beach High School senior Samantha Breen and her Science Research teacher and mentor Cody Onufrock were recently published in the Journal of Emerging Investigators for an article on a potential remedy for bacterial infections. The piece, titled “The analysis of the antimicrobial benefits of Populus balsamifera,” is based on explorations that Samantha made while executing a project during her sophomore year.

Samantha spent months revising the article and reviewing it with Mr. Onufrock, with the goal of submitting it to a journal and reaching the public. Her hope is that the research will eventually result in an ointment to treat staph infections. The full article is available online at https://www.emerginginvestigators.org/articles/the-analysis-of-the-antimicrobial-benefits-of-em-populus-balsamifera-em.

Now, Samantha is immersed in her senior project, for which she is investigating treatments for Alzheimer’s. She plans to continue her scientific and medical studies in the future and aspires to pursue neural engineering.