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OBEN boasts rapid climb in online rankings the kids and focus on the kids and the wonderful staff that we have,” Ianni said. “We moved up The Oyster Bay-East Norwich 476 spots in the entire nation.” For Ianni, those numbers are Central School District has climbed hundreds of spots in not just data points, but indicanational and state education tors of a cultural and academic rankings. Over the past four shift across the district. “These are not just numyears, it has moved up from 762nd in the bers,” he said. nation to 286th on “These are clearly a Niche.com, placing it reflection of the in the top 3 percent quality of students of school districts in that we have.” the United States. T h e d i s t r i c t ’s The district also rose graduation rate has from 142nd to 41st in climbed from 88 perN e w Yo rk s t a t e, cent to 100 percent reflecting years of since Ianni’s arrival, academic and strucwhile the percentage tural refor m, and of students earning received higher rankscores of 3 or higher ings from the nonon Advanced Placeprofit GreatSchools. ment exams rose FRaNCESCo IaNNI from 62 to 84 percent. org as well. Superintendent Superintendent, Oyster Bay High Francesco Ianni, who O.BE.N.C.S.D. School’s college readtook over in January iness score, as mea2021, credits the diss u r e d by G r e a t trict’s rise to a comprehensive Schools.org, now stands at 9 out restructuring of priorities, of 10. resources and instructional Board of Education President methods. Nancy Castrogiovanni, who has “When I got here in 2021, one been a trustee for seven years, of the commitments of the said the district’s improvement Board of Education was to bring reflects a multi-year effort to up the test scores and to bring up identify and rectify weaknesses. the reading, which, indirectly, “When I came onto the board, was a way to put a spotlight on CoNtiNUeD oN PAge 16
By WILL SHEELINE
wsheeline@liherald.com
T
Will Sheeline/Herald
Professor Liz Suter, of Molloy University, presented the results of numerous studies on the impact of new eDNA research.
Assessing new ocean research and sharing a pint with Friends of the Bay By WILL SHEELINE wsheeline@liherald.com
At the Friends of the Bay’s Brews and News event on Wednesday at the Oyster Bay Brewing Company, attendees got a taste of hops and cutting-edge discoveries as Liz Suter, associate professor of environmental science at Molloy University, delved into the rapidly evolving science of environmental DNA, or eDNA. Suter, who also conducts research at the Institute for Ocean Conservation Science at Stony Brook University, has spent more than a decade studying how traces of genetic material left behind by marine organisms can unlock hidden details about ocean ecosystems.
“The ocean is a soup of its resident species’ genetic material,” she told attendees. “The concept behind environmental DNA, or eDNA, is … that as organisms move through water, they shed cells, and they shed DNA. Environmental DNA, Suter explained, works similarly to forensic DNA analysis. As organisms move through water, they shed cells, tissue and waste that contain their genetic signatures. By collecting and filtering samples of seawater, scientists can analyze this genetic material to identify species in the environment, from microbes to megafauna, without ever seeing or capturing them. Researchers use “metabarcodes,” or molecular markers, to target groups of CoNtiNUeD oN PAge 3
hese are not just numbers. These are clearly a reflection of the quality of students that we have.