Shown in the photo Deer Park High School AP Biology Protein Modeling Team members, left to right, Evan Demetriou, Christopher Wankel, and Michele Sainato wear their second-place medals and display their model proteins while Faculty Advisor David Knuffke, far right, and Principal Nanine Cuttitta congratulate them on their success at the first-ever New York State Protein Modeling Event. The Deer Park High School AP Biology Protein Modeling Team placed second in the first annual Protein Modeling Event held at Stony Brook University. The competition required students to build a model of calmodulin, an integral protein in the cellular functions of all vertebrates. Using the Jmol protein modeling program, the team built a three-dimensional physical model of calmodulin, which was submitted to the competition for prejudging.

The second part of the competition required students to demonstrate their facility with the Jmol program by participating in a timed build, which was held on site at Stony Brook. Following the timed build, students took a timed exam to demonstrate their understanding of calmodulin structure and function. This event marked the first Protein Modeling Event to be held in New York State, and 24 teams from high schools across Long Island competed.