Fifteen THHS science research students trekked to Baruch College with their poster boards to compete among the forty eight finalists in the Teptu S.T.E.M. Finals on Tuesday, March 15th.

Teptu, Inc., is an organization that strives to engage students in educational opportunities and encourage them to explore the worlds of both entrepreneurship and S.T.E.M. (science, technology, engineering, and math). Moreover, it aims to support minorities, women, and underserved students of New York City.

“The Teptu competition emphasizes the innovative and creative ideas that students have,” said Senior MinJun Li. Teptu is an opportunity for upcoming leaders in S.T.E.M. to showcase their research and connect the gap between a mere dream with palpable success.

Competing students from Townsend ranged from newcomers to experienced veterans.

Junior Denise Obaji remarked, “Teptu was my very first science research competition. It was enjoyable to see [students] from other schools interested in the same field: science.”

During the competition, students were expected to answer questions about their projects. MinJun particularly enjoyed this, stating that the “questions helped [her] understand the importance of [her] project.”

The Teptu competition has come to an end, but students have already made resolutions for next year. Denise commented, “Now that I have a mentor and am receiving a more detailed and advanced project, I’ll be able to have a better project for [future] competitions.”