![Incoming Student Union President junior Aki Bejamin and other SU candidates sitting on stage while waiting to give their speeches during the May 18 SU Debate. Aki said he plans to “burn [the SU] all down and start anew.”](https://thhsclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/IMG_9600-e1782439128607-1200x1131.jpg)
Earlier this month, students in the Townsend Harris Science Research classes went on a trip to Queens College to explore science-related college majors as part of the 28th Annual Science Open House for High School Students.
According to science research teacher Katherine Cooper, the goal of the trip was “to expose the sophomore research students to the many scientific disciplines that can be studied in college through demonstrations and hands-on experiences, along with a keynote speaker who shared information about his research with the students.”
Many students said the trip was beneficial as they learned about numerous parts of STEM they previously did not know about.
Sophomore Rafid Kamal in science teacher Olivia Comer’s band two science research class said, “It helped [my interest in science] because there were a lot of things that I did not know that I could pursue, [such as] forensic science. That was one of the things they talked about. And I wasn’t really as aware of that as a career pathway.”
Several other students, such as sophomore Hailey Tang, also commented on forensics, saying it was “refreshing to learn about something different, other than … the typical [sciences] like, physics or chemistry that you hear about.”
Ms. Comer said, “students go [on this trip] to hear from people who are currently completing their own science research, so it provides insight into the actual process that researchers carry out as part of this job … real people whom they could contact to learn more.”
Upperclassmen who had previously taken the course led the trip. Ms.Cooper “prepared the junior and senior research students, as they serve as guides for the other schools that attend the trip, since our students are more familiar with the QC campus.”
Ms. Cooper said, “Trips provide that new environment that hopefully brings with it a level of excitement that will motivate students to engage… and envision new possibilities for their own futures that they may not have been able to… [without] having an experience that a trip provides. The trip makes these places tangible and real.”
