Photo courtesy of Clif Campbell
This is the first in a series of New Albany High School student profiles. The series shows the impact these talented and driven students make on our community and our school system while highlighting their contributions to Healthy New Albany ideals.
Photo courtesy of Amy Flowers
When Amit Greenshtein was 9 years old, his family moved from Haifa, Israel, the only home he’d known, to New Albany. He hasn’t yet lived half of his life here, but Greenshtein, a senior at New Albany High School, has already made a lasting impact on the school and the community.
English is Greenshtein’s second language, and he says he still thinks and dreams in his first language, Hebrew. Moving and changing schools as a kid can be difficult, but moving to a new country brings an entirely different set of challenges. Greenshtein says that, at first, the transition to life in America – and specifically New Albany – worried him.
“Coming to New Albany as a foreigner, I didn’t know if I would ever feel at home like I did back in Israel,” Greenshtein says. “It took some time, but now New Albany truly feels like home to me.”
Greenshtein credits the school system for helping him feel at home.
“New Albany is always pushing me and challenging me to be the best I can be,” he says. “The teachers, the staff, the whole environment. I came to school without knowing a word in English, and the teachers pushed me until I had a good grasp of the language.”
Greenshtein certainly challenges himself, too. For example, math and science have always been his favorite subjects in school, and these interests naturally led him to be curious about the field of engineering. So, as a junior, Greenshtein took an engineering mathematics course from Wright State University through NAHS.
For his senior seminar project, Amit took on another challenge, one that has gained him some renown beyond the borders of New Albany. Have you ever accidentally taken a sip of spoiled milk? Greenshtein wanted to find out whether the expiration date listed on milk cartons really told us everything we needed to know about the age and quality of the milk inside.
The answer he found, and the solution he has developed, may change the way we gauge the freshness of milk.
Photo courtesy of Clif Campbell
Photo courtesy of Amit Greenshtein
Greenshtein shines a laser into the filter he created that allows for seeing the age of milk.
Greenshtein created a milk spoilage indicator that interacts with bacteria in milk. The indicator window is incorporated into the milk carton, and it attracts harmful bacteria to colonize on its surface. When a laser beam is directed at the indicator window, the shape of the reflection shows whether the milk is fresh or spoiled.
“In fresh milk, the reflection of the laser is round and fixed. In bad milk, the reflection is a stretched shape that constantly moves,” he says.
He has plans to take the project further too. The next step, he explains, is to make the indicator more user-friendly.
“I am researching and trying to work on a special laser that interacts with my surface by shining different colors,” he says.
In addition to developing ways to save us from spoiled dairy products, Greenshtein was a leading member of the New Albany boys’ soccer team. This past season, Greenshtein led the team with 19 goals and was named first team Ohio Capital Conference – Capital Division All-League and second team All-Central District.
“Being a member of the soccer team has probably been one of the most meaningful and memorable experiences of high school,” Greenshtein says. “I learned how to be a team player, lead and be a part of a group with one common goal.”
He credits the coaching staff for creating an environment for the team to thrive.
“My coaches always believed in me and the team,” Greenshtein says. “They did everything to make sure we were doing the best we can while improving and having fun at the same time.”
Peace Week – the annual tradition at NAHS that, according to the school’s website, exists to “bring awareness to social issues, celebrate cultural diversity, gain better understanding into the perspectives and experiences of others” – is also one of Greenshtein’s favorite parts of high school. He says that the week gives him a chance to reflect on the past year of school and all that has transpired.
Bob Valasek is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at adeperro@cityscenemediagroup.com.
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