High School NASCENT Fellows: A Summer Research Experience
The NASCENT Fellows program is an engineering summer research program designed for students in 10–12th grade. Each summer, local high school students are selected to join graduate and undergraduate students for seven weeks of laboratory research as Fellows. These “layered research teams” will attack problems in nanomanufacturing and make significant contributions to ongoing projects. Each high school student will give a final presentation of their results at the end of the summer.
Program Objectives
- To provide high school students with opportunities to participate in ongoing research related to nanomanufacturing.
- To provide high school students exposure to both academic and career opportunities in engineering.
Major Activities
- Students will be expected to work on their research project for approximately 6–8 hours a day during program dates.
- Students will participate in an orientation held the first week that includes a nanoscience short course to prepare them for their research projects.
- Students will receive safety training. Students will work under the guidance and supervision of trained laboratory graduate students.
- They will be expected to read reference material and maintain a laboratory notebook.
- They will be expected to make a poster that will be presented at the end of the summer session.
- Monthly Science Academies will be held at partner schools for middle school students during the school year. Fellows will be expected to attend at least three of these Academies to lead activities and mentor the younger students.
Overview of Program Schedule
- Orientation to campus
- Meet faculty and graduate students
- Nanotechnology short course
- Introduction to research methods
- Lab safety course
- Conduct research under supervision of graduate student and faculty member
- Participate in workshops geared to teach the student technical writing, poster creation and presentation skills
- Take field trips to local companies creating products in the nano field
- Faculty members and guest speakers give special interest talks around nanotechnology and manufacturing
- Sample Daily Schedule
9:00 am
High school student will arrive at Pickle Research Center and check in with their graduate student and begin research for the day
12:00 pm
Lunch at the Commons cafeteria (students must bring sack lunch or money to purchase food at the Commons)
1:00 pm
Workshop on technical writing skills
3:00 pm
Begin scientific poster creation using skills learned in workshop
5:00 pm
Depart for the day
- Wrap up research
- Create scientific poster highlighting their research
- Create presentation based on research
- Give presentations to invited audience that can include family members, graduate students, faculty, teachers, etc.
- Celebration of work accomplished!
- Program dates: June 12 - July 28, 2017
- Questions? Contact Risa Hartman at: rhartman “at” nascent-erc.org
