On October 12, 2000, students from Bellport High School attended the Fifth Annual Pine Barrens Research Forum, sponsored by the Central Pine Barrens Commission, The Long Island Ground Water Research Institute of the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and the Brookhaven National Laboratory at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Two Students, Maureen Gundlach and Meryl del Rosario presented posters about their research.

Maureen presented a poster entitled "Spring Fire Effects on Oak Stands." It was generated from her effort with the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Refuge at Wertheim in Brookhaven. She studied how a forest regenerates after a bum, which can be useful in predicting how an Oak Forest will react to a wildfire.

Meryl's poster was "The Effects of Light Competition on Pinus rigida Growth Forms." She added evidence to the theory that dwarf pines are actually dwarfed due to competition for sunlight, not genetic makeup.

Both students worked to collect data over the summer and are continuing their work into the school year, along with other students each doing their own research. They are members of the first class in Bellport High School to participate in Bellport High School's Authentic Research Class and SUNY Albany's University in the High School Program.