For the first time ever, an East Hampton High School student placed as a semi-finalist in the Intel Science Talent Search Competition, formerly known as the Westinghouse contest. The announcement came in January that senior Stephanie Talmage had accomplished just that, by isolating the bioactive compound of the berries of the Rhus glabra plant, which grows near the school.
Talmage is no stranger to notoriety, and this is the second year in a row she has made news with her science prowess. As a member of Dr. Robert Schumacher’s Methods of Research class, Talmage was part of the trio of students who, last year, gained national recognition from their discovery of Bonactin, a compound with antibiotic properties. Talmage, along with Methods of Research classmates Katie Sarris and Sarah Miller, was hounded by the news media when word of the find leaked out, and even made an appearance on The Rosie O’Donnell Show.
Her latest achievement, which has earned her a place in the School District’s history books, is somewhat related to another, quite different activity she excels at — field hockey. The co-captain of the team this year, Talmage noticed the Rhus glabra growing around the field hockey field and, as part of an independent project, extracted components from its berries, performed biological tests, and tested it against microbes to determine if there was activity. There was, so Talmage proceeded to isolate the compound causing that activity.
"Obviously, she is a hard worker," Dr. Schumacher said of his student. So what is it about Talmage that sets her apart? "Her love for science," he says without hesitation. "The whole demeanor of how she goes about research. I tell her to do something that I think will take two days and she’s back in two hours asking ‘ What do I do now?’ She’s just amazing."
Dr. Schumacher added that Talmage has probably done enough research for a master’s degree if she were in graduate school. She is now writing a paper on her results for publication in the Journal of Natural Products.
As a semi-finalist in the prestigious national competition, Talmage won a $1000 scholarship both for herself and for the school. It will come in handy as she graduates this June and has been accepted at Cornell University.