THE THIRD CHROMOSOME Examining how various families and communities
are influenced by children with Down Syndrome
BY AMANDA CHANG AND SHEFALI VIJAY
After discovering that they could potentially develop their own network of supportive professionals and families to give them guidance, they decided to keep the baby. “My parents weren’t sure if they could take care of him, because you need to pay constant attention,” said Humfeld. Humfeld’s brother was born on Feb. 15, and the family quickly found that he behaved normally and had good muscle tone, which is unusual for a Down Syndrome baby. The family foresaw him needing physical therapy later on, because it takes longer for children with Down Syndrome to learn how to refine their motor skills. They also anticipated him learning sign language as he develops his speech to ensure he is not limited by communication issues. see DOWN SYNDROME page 11
Record turnout at Synopsys science fair BY JESSICA LUO
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n March 11, 483 high school students competed in the annual Synopsys Championship. Held in the San Jose Convention Center, this year’s championship included participants from more than fifty middle and high schools in the Santa Clara area. Lynbrook’s 83 participants alone represented a record high of 17 percent of the total number of projects and 20 percent of the total number of awards. The applicants who did not utilize their summer project or continue work from an outside lab began planning in August, choosing a topic from over a dozen categories including biochemistry, engineering and physics. After gaining approval from the Scientific Review Committee, students started experi-
menting and collecting data. “[The science fair] allows students to tap into fields they typically can’t tap into in a traditional high school classroom,” said science teacher Jason Lee. “It gives them freedom to control what variable they want to control and analyze the results leading into what they’re interested in.” After experiments were completed, students organized all collected information onto a poster board that was used to showcase their project. At Lynbrook, many experiments were conducted in labs in the science rooms, where Lee could supervise. While students went through the process of creating projects, Lee guided students and offered helpful advice. As his first year involved in the competition, Lee mentored 71 of the 73 proj-
ects from Lynbrook. For students enrolled in the STEM independent research class, all of whom were required to participate in the science fair, Lee set soft deadlines to enable students to finish their project on time. “One big thing, however, is never giving the answer,” said Lee. “Most of the time, I don’t know the answer. I shouldn’t know the answer. I want students to come to their own conclusions based on the research they’re doing.” Several students encountered difficulties in the process of creating their project. Freshman Nikhil Ajjarapu, who designed a program to censor audio, came from a background of computer scientists, but still struggled when he realized he had much to learn. see SCIENCE FAIR page 2
GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY KATHLEEN CUI AND JESSICA LUO
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fter receiving the results of a prenatal diagnostic test, senior Elyssa Humfeld’s family was stunned to discover that Humfeld’s younger brother would be born with Down Syndrome. Down Syndrome, a genetic condition that occurs when an individual has a full or partial extra copy of chromosome trisomy 21, frequently manifests itself in attributes like low muscle tone, small stature and slower motor skills. In the U.S., approximately 6,000 babies are born with Down Syndrome every year, making it the most common genetic disorder among American citizens. “There is no treatment for Down Syndrome,” said Dr. Ranjani Chandramouli. “But there are early intervention programs that will help Down Syndrome babies acclimate.”
Down Syndrome affects not only people with the genetic condition, however, but also their families. Some people with Down Syndrome are almost independent, while others require adult supervision to perform simple actions such as showering and eating. Humfeld and her parents had three options after receiving the diagnosis--terminate the pregnancy, give the child up for adoption or keep the baby. Because every case of Down Syndrome is different, the Humfelds did not know what the exact effect would be. “It was a difficult decision for my mom,” said Humfeld. “But after doing research, she saw that babies with Down Syndrome could be happy, so we took termination off the list.” At first, Humfeld and her parents leaned toward adoption because they worried about having to care for a child with Down Syndrome.