![Team MBRP Cezanne Bies and Zain Bin Khalid swimming circles around NYC's brightest on March 6's NYC Science and Engineering Fair.](https://i0.wp.com/harborseals.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/20160306_141852-e1457305501435.jpg?resize=474%2C314)
This was a big week for Marine Biology Research Scholars. On March 6 four of our advanced marine research scholars presented at the NYC Science and Engineering Fair. Competing with over four hundred of the City’s brightest science scholars, Cezanne Bies, Zain Bin Khalid, Marc Jimenez, and Luca Goldmansour showcased their long term research projects to judges from NYC’s top research institutions.
![Advanced marine science scholar Luca Goldmansour, class of '16.](https://i2.wp.com/harborseals.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/IMG_6324-e1457305392603.jpg?resize=474%2C407)
![Advanced marine science scholar Marc Jimenez, class of '16.](https://i0.wp.com/harborseals.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/IMG_6323-e1457305343502.jpg?resize=474%2C414)
On Friday, March 4th, four of our intermediate research scholars presented their research to their partners CIVITAS, the Hudson River Foundation, and the Environmental Defense Fund. Led by Melanie Smith (Project Manager) and team members Grace Carter (biodiversity team leader), Katha Conklin (plankton team leader), and Cindy Isidoro (benthos team leader) they successfully presented the project’s final Quality Assurance Project Plan for approval.
![Left to right: Jameson Mitchell, Maura Smotrich, Cindy Isidoro, Katha Conklin, Grace Carter, Susan Maresca, Melanie Smith, Mauricio Gonzalez, Kate Boicourt, Jim Tripp.](https://i1.wp.com/harborseals.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/160304_seals_civitas_at_hrf.jpg?resize=474%2C244)
And finally, on Monday, February 29, the Department of Education’s Office of Post Secondary Readiness recognized our Professional Advisory Committee member Captain and Scientist Matthew Leahey from NGO Seasavers and the Coast Guard Auxiliary with a plaque of recognition for his outstanding support of the Harbor School and the Marine Biology Research Program specifically. Captain Leahey got our team started on monitoring plastics in the NY Harbor before any other organization on the City was doing so. He led the MBRP on multiple expeditions aboard his vessel, the Nomad. He also custom built a manta tow to perform the sampling at the Verrazano narrows. When not on the water, he was leading workshops at our lab on water resources, plastics contamination, and the difficulty of environmental measurements for monitoring. We’d like to thank all our Professional Advisory Committee members and partners for making all these accomplishments possible. And a special thank you goes out to Captain Leahey for his amazing dedication to our future scientists and our city at large. Go Harbor School Science!
![Captain and Scientist Matthew Leahey with our Harbor scholars preparing for a plankton tow.](https://i1.wp.com/harborseals.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/IMAG1165.jpg?resize=474%2C284)