USU turns high-schoolers into scientists
This July, USU researchers will give high school juniors and seniors hands-on experience in biotechnology research at the 11th annual Biotechnology Summer Academy.
The students will work with faculty researchers such as Giovanni Rompato of the Center for Integrated Biosystems (CIB) at USU.
“We have a group of high school kids,” Rompato said, “they work for us (and) with us in the lab for a week. They have a project and experiment and they go and do it and we provide assistance, help and direction.”
According to the biotechnology website, the experiments will be in areas such as bioengineering, chemistry, biology, environmental engineering, bioinformatics and animal, dairy and veterinary sciences, as well as plant and soil science.
Afifa Sabir, facilitator of the Biotechnology Summer Academy, said the students select the area of research they are interested in and are paired with a member of USU faculty in that field.
“We don’t put all of them in one group, we divide them into small groups,” Sabir said. “If they like biology we hook them up with biology faculty. If they like chemistry, we put them in the chemistry department. If they like engineering we put them in the engineering department. We don’t teach them all the same thing, it depends on their interests.”
Sabir said the students will also attend lectures by USU biotechnology and industry experts. These presentations will also expose students to career opportunities in these fields.
At the end of the week the students will present their projects to faculty and their parents to show off the finished products of their work.
According to Sabir one of the goals of the program is to recruit quality students to USU. She hopes the program will help recruit students that are serious about a college career. She said the program also helps encourage students to pursue careers in areas such as life science and engineering with an emphasis in biotechnology.
“This program serves as an excellent recruitment tool for the university to attract these high school students to USU after graduation,” Sabir said. “After the positive learning experience they had during the Academy, many of the students who participated in this program in the last few years attend USU.”
The most recent statistics presented by Sabir state that 55 students attended the Biotechnology Summer Academy in 2009. Of those students, 29 of them now attend USU.
Students are admitted to the Academy through an application process which includes submitting their student transcripts and a one-page statement describing why they want to go to the Biotechnology Summer Academy.
According to the student application pamphlet, students are chosen based on their GPA, interest in science and grade level.
This year will also be the 7th annual Advanced Biotechnology Summer Academy. This program is for returning students who want to get their hands even deeper into research.
Sabir said, “They asked me, ‘Can we come back next year for the same program?’ I said, ‘What are we going to call it?'”
The students don’t spend the entire five-day program doing research, however. They also get a taste of college social life by staying in USU housing facilities. While staying at the housing facilities the high school students participate in evening group activities including rock climbing, swimming and barbecues.
Registration for the Academy costs $200 and applications are due by June 3. Housing and meals are provided by USU.
– chris.w.lee@aggiemail.usu.edu