by Debra Rubin
NJJN Staff Writer

July 22, 2008

Davida Kollmar of Edison has always excelled in science and math. Just how proficient she is became apparent when the Bruriah High School for Girls student received the top score in New Jersey in the biology portion of the 58th annual Merck State Science Day competition.

“I was very happy and excited and proud of myself,” said Davida, who is going into her senior year at Bruriah, which is part of the Jewish Educational Center in Elizabeth.

She was recently honored with the 25 other Merck scholars from across New Jersey at a luncheon at Merck Research Laboratories in Rahway. Also attending the event were Davida’s parents, Richard and Susan Kollmar, and her teacher Adele Jonas.

Overall, 1,838 top science students from 106 high schools participated in the biology, chemistry, physics, integrated science, and advanced integrated science testing. The awards are given by the New Jersey Science Teachers Association and Merck Institute for Science Education.

“MISE is delighted to honor the state’s top student achievers,” said the institute’s executive director, Dr. Carlo Parravano. “Merck has made long-term commitments to improve science education in New Jersey and Pennsylvania through the support of programs at the graduate, undergraduate, and pre-college levels.”

To receive the honor, Davida said, she took a 100-question test; she answered 86 percent correctly.

A member of her school’s Torah Bowl team, Davida has also sung in the choir at school productions. She is unsure of what she will major in at college or what she wants to do professionally, but she thinks her career may be in the scientific field.

This was not the first award Davida has received for her academic prowess. As an eighth-grader at Rabbi Pesach Raymon Yeshiva in Edison, she placed 20th statewide in the New Jersey Math League competition.

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