QCC STEP Claims First and Third In 2025 NYS STEP Research Conference
“Although I didn’t get first place like I hoped, it was a nice experience, and I would go again if I can.”
These are the words of 17-year-old Joshua Fleuristil highlighting some of his thoughts regarding the most recent New York State Science Technology Entry Program (NYS STEP) Research Conference.
The NYS STEP Research Conference is an annual event where middle and high school students from STEP programs of different colleges come together to present their research, hear keynote speakers, and connect with peers and professionals.
Queensborough is one of the many colleges across the state to have its own STEP program (QCC STEP), whose purpose is to encourage historically marginalized and/or economically disadvantaged students to pursue a major — and ultimately a career — in STEM.
To this end, students participate in activities which include:
- Science Workshops
- Machine Learning & Data Science Workshops
- 3D Design & Printing
- Research Opportunities
- Annual Field Trips
Tasnim Jannat and Joshua Fleuristil were two such students who later went on to participate at the NYS STEP Research Conference in April.
As QCC STEP Mentor and Assistant Professor (Mathematics and Computer Science) Yusuf Danisman will tell you, reaching that point was no easy feat.
“Mentoring high school students who come to campus for just one day a week while balancing their regular schoolwork can be challenging. The biggest challenge is the short duration of the Python module, which affects how much time we have to prepare for projects. Communication can also be difficult since many students don’t check their personal emails regularly. Despite these challenges, I really enjoyed working with them and seeing their progress throughout the year. It was rewarding to watch their skills and confidence grow.”
And the challenges don’t end simply with scheduling, communication, or coursework — technical issues can be an equally challenging obstacle to surmount. In fact, last year was QCC STEPs first year attending the conference, and that inexperience led to technical issues during the students’ presentations which prevented them from winning awards.
This year, however?
QCC STEP was prepared, and the results speak for themselves: Jannat placed in first, while Fleuristil earned third place.
“My research project was a project based on the Stock Market and one method we could use to predict its future changes,” Fleuristil said about his project. “With the usage of Python coding and data science techniques, under the guidance of our mentor, Professor Danisman, we conducted research on how to predict the stock market with extended encoding. Essentially, we would dig deep into the encoding to find any further nuances and details that one wouldn’t normally find with classical encoding to produce a more accurate prediction of the stock market’s future fluctuations.”
Even though he didn’t place in first, Fleuristil still enjoyed participating in the conference and even hopes to be back next year.
“I actually plan to continue my research at QCC STEP this year. I’m not sure of my Saturday schedule for the future, but I would like to further my work on it with Professor Danisman and maybe even win placement again for the next conference.”
Congratulations to QCC STEP and all its students! We look forward to what you accomplish next year!
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