1. USC
STAR
Program
Spring
2015
Written
In
The
Stars
“Every
great
advance
in
science
has
issued
from
a
new
audacity
of
imagination.”
~John
Dewey,
The
Quest
for
Certainty,
1929
Upcoming
STAR
Program
Events
March Los Angeles County
Science Fair Competition
April New STAR II students
accepted for 2015-2016
May AP Exams; College
Decisions; Lab Interviews
June
School year ends. STAR
Summer Research
Internship Begins
July STAR summer internship
seminars
February
24th
,
2015:
The
STAR
Program
hosts
the
2015
USC-­‐Bravo
Science
&
Engineering
Fair
The
USC
STAR
Program
and
Bravo
High
School
geared
up
for
another
successful
Science
and
Engineering
Fair.
There
were
121
projects
submitted
for
the
competition
from
students
ranging
from
9th
through
12th
grade,
including
STAR
1
and
2
students.
Friends
and
supporters
from
all
over
Los
Angeles
signed
up
to
be
judges
in
the
competition,
including
five
of
our
very
own
STAR
alumni.
Thank
you
to
everyone
who
supports
us,
especially
the
USC
Good
Neighbors
Campaign,
whose
continuous
support
makes
the
Science
Fair
possible
for
all
the
young
minds
at
Bravo
High
School.
August STAR summer internship
ends, school begins

2. 2
2015
USC-­‐Bravo
Science
&
Engineering
Fair

3. 3
Stella
Gukasyan
graduated
from
the
STAR
program
in
2000.
She
worked
in
Dr.
Jingsong
Zhao’s
lab
in
the
Center
for
Craniofacial
Development.
She
attended
UCSD
for
undergrad
and
the
Harvard
Graduate
School
of
Education
for
her
Masters
degree.
Currently,
Stella
is
the
Principal
Investigator/Evaluator
for
the
AIDS
Project
Los
Angeles
(APLA).
Stella
Gukasyan
remains
actively
involved
with
the
USC
STAR
program.
This
year,
Stella
participated
as
a
judge
in
the
annual
USC
Bravo
high
school
science
fair
competition.
Joining
her
were
other
STAR
Program
alumni
including
Dr.
Arthur
Ohannessian
(’00),
Dr.
Sofia
Gezalyan
(’00),
Karren
Wong
(’08),
Nam
Che
(’92)
and
Stephanie
Bonilla
(’14).
What
are
your
fondest
memories
of
your
time
in
the
STAR
Program?
My
fondest
memories
of
my
time
in
the
STAR
program
include
forming
a
strong
bond
with
my
STAR
cohort…We
were
all
here
to
help
each
other
with
encouraging
words.
I
also
look
back
in
appreciation
on
the
impromptu
one-­‐on-­‐one
lecture
sessions
from
my
mentor,
Dr.
Zhao.
How
did
the
STAR
Program
prepare
you
for
success
in
college
and
your
career?
The
STAR
program
was
instrumental
in
my
success
during
my
college
years
and
in
my
career.
My
mentor,
Dr.
Brinton,
and
Mrs.
Stewart
were
all
amazing
sources
of
encouragement
and
knowledge.
The
program
allowed
me
to
access
resources
within
an
actual
laboratory
at
USC
and
provided
me
with
a
platform
to
engage
in
scientific
discussions
with
my
mentor
and
other
renowned
researchers
across
the
lab.
The
opportunity
to
play
with
highly
sophisticated
laboratory
equipment
and
be
part
of
a
research
team
prepared
me
for
higher-­‐level
discussions
in
my
science
courses
in
college.
Most
importantly,
it
was
a
true
inspiration
and
an
integral
part
of
my
growth
and
continuation
in
the
sciences
to
have
Dr.
Brinton
and
Mrs.
Stewart
as
female
science
role
models.
My
experience
in
the
STAR
Program
fulfilled
and
exceeded
my
expectations
by
allowing
me
the
space
and
comfort
to
learn
and
grow
in
a
highly
stimulating
setting.
Were
you
the
first
in
your
family
to
go
to
college?
My
family
emigrated
from
Armenia
in
1991.
I
was
the
first
in
my
family
to
graduate
high
school,
attend
college,
and
graduate
with
a
degree
in
a
STEM
field.
My
parents
sought
out
a
medical
magnet
middle
school
and
high
school
for
higher
quality
of
education
and
to
fulfill
my
dream
of
studying
science.
STAR
Alumni
Spotlight
2

4. 4
STAR
Corner:
STAR
students
tell
us
what
they
learned
preparing
for
the
Science
Fair
Aleck
Sun,
Class
of
2015
|
STAR
Lab:
Dr.
Justin
Ichida
My
favorite
part
of
the
science
fair
is
data
collection
because
the
data
indicates
the
success
or
failure
of
the
project.
It
is
very
exciting
to
finally
have
acceptable
data
that
you
can
draw
conclusions
from,
which
is
the
final
step
to
completing
the
project.
I
have
learned
many
things
about
cloning
and
reprogramming
stem
cells
into
motor
neurons.
More
importantly,
though,
I
learned
how
to
effectively
collaborate
with
multiple
people
in
my
lab
in
regards
to
my
project
as
well
as
present
in
a
sophisticated
manner.
To
my
fellow
underclassmen
who
plan
to
participate
in
the
science
fair
in
the
following
years,
my
advice
to
you
is
to
definitely
put
a
lot
of
time
and
effort
in
your
projects.
Don't
lose
hope
when
your
projects
aren't
successful
the
first
time.
View
your
problems
in
a
different
angle
so
that
you
notice
things
you
haven't
noticed
before.
The
STAR
Program
has
helped
me
in
many
ways
for
this
science
fair
competition.
I
received
a
lot
of
tips
from
Mrs.
De
La
Cruz
and
Christina
through
practice
presentations.
In
addition,
I
was
able
to
receive
feedback
from
my
lab
mentors
regarding
my
presentations
and
lab
techniques.
Finally,
the
STAR
Program
has
given
me
prior
experience
in
poster
presentations
during
the
summer
trip
to
San
Francisco.
Benefits
of
participation
in
the
science
fair
include
the
satisfaction
of
having
a
completed
project/poster,
the
experience
of
learning
science
in
other
ways
besides
the
book,
and
the
improvement
of
professionalism
during
presentations.
The
Science
Fair
and
the
STAR
Program
has
definitely
helped
with
my
public
speaking
skills.

5. 5
Rizwan
Chaudhury,
Class
of
2015
|
STAR
Lab:
Dr.
Gregor
Adams
In my opinion, making the poster was the most fun part. I got to create a poster,
which looked absolutely brilliant.
I have learned that presenting is very important. As I grow older, I may need to
constantly present for my career. Therefore, I must always be prepared to present
anything that I need to.
I would tell my peers to finish their posters as early as possible. Finishing this
poster late will lead to a lack of preparation, which may harm your presentation.
The STAR program has allowed me to work on my research project for a long time.
This gave me extra time to carefully learn my project. Even though this project is
more complex than other project, it was really fun to learn.
Science Fair holds many benefits. For example, it is an activity that looks really
well on college application. It also allows to thoroughly prepare for an important
presentation, which can also help improve your presenting skills.
The Science Fair has greatly helped increase my public speaking and presentation
skills. By practicing my script many times, I have created a successful speech that
clearly shows my ability to speak.