The document discusses high school student internships in science research laboratories. It describes several students interning at places like Stanford University and UC Santa Cruz, helping with tasks like analyzing DNA sequences and cataloging fossils. The internships aim to inspire students about science careers by giving them hands-on research experience beyond the classroom. They learn real-world applications of science and that fields like biology and engineering are interconnected. Mentors believe the internships can help address the need for more students entering STEM fields. Schools are also adjusting curriculums to encourage more independent science exploration through research modules.
The document summarizes new collaborations formed by the University of Notre Dame College of Science. It discusses partnerships with MD Anderson Cancer Center and Loyola University to provide research opportunities for Notre Dame students in cancer research. It also describes the formation of new relationships in Silicon Valley as part of Notre Dame's California Initiative to provide career and research opportunities for students and identify partners to help commercialize Notre Dame's research.
CfP dataTEL SI at Journal IJTEL deadline 25.10.2011Hendrik Drachsler
This document calls for papers to be submitted to a special issue of the International Journal of Technology Enhanced Learning on the topic of dataTEL - using datasets to support personalized learning. It provides details on the scope, which is exploring how educational institutions' student data can be used to improve personalized learning through methods like recommender systems. Authors are invited to submit papers on topics such as describing educational datasets, data experiments, evaluation of recommender systems, and privacy/legal issues. The submission deadline is October 25, 2011.
This document provides an overview of science and discusses various topics related to science including scientific research, different fields of science like social science and library science, the history of science, science education, scientific conferences and festivals, scientific journals and publications, and the relationship between science and policy. It also mentions several organizations related to science like the National Science Foundation and discusses scientists and their work.
Increasing female participation in science and technology careersAlexander Decker
This document summarizes a study on increasing female participation in science and technology careers in Nigeria. It utilized a scale to assess factors influencing science career choices among female students at University of Lagos. The factors included interest, enrollment, masculine image of science, social barriers, role models, school factors, teacher factors, and parental influence. A survey was administered to 375 female students divided into science majors and non-science majors. Results found significant differences between the groups for enrollment, social barriers, and role models, but not for interest, masculine image, school factors, teacher factors, or parental influence. The paper concludes it is a waste of talent if females do not participate equally in science due to barriers.
Scientists use both observation and inference in their work. Observation involves directly gathering evidence using the senses, while inference involves using logical reasoning to understand phenomena that cannot be directly observed, based on observations and prior knowledge. Young students have difficulty understanding the role of inference and often think scientists only use observation. However, with explicit instruction on the difference between observation and inference, as well as opportunities to practice these skills, students can improve their understanding of the scientific process. Teachers should provide multiple opportunities for students to observe, discuss their observations, look for patterns and make inferences to help develop their skills.
The document summarizes new collaborations formed by the University of Notre Dame College of Science. It discusses partnerships with MD Anderson Cancer Center and Loyola University to provide research opportunities for Notre Dame students in cancer research. It also describes the formation of new relationships in Silicon Valley as part of Notre Dame's California Initiative to provide career and research opportunities for students and identify partners to help commercialize Notre Dame's research.
CfP dataTEL SI at Journal IJTEL deadline 25.10.2011Hendrik Drachsler
This document calls for papers to be submitted to a special issue of the International Journal of Technology Enhanced Learning on the topic of dataTEL - using datasets to support personalized learning. It provides details on the scope, which is exploring how educational institutions' student data can be used to improve personalized learning through methods like recommender systems. Authors are invited to submit papers on topics such as describing educational datasets, data experiments, evaluation of recommender systems, and privacy/legal issues. The submission deadline is October 25, 2011.
This document provides an overview of science and discusses various topics related to science including scientific research, different fields of science like social science and library science, the history of science, science education, scientific conferences and festivals, scientific journals and publications, and the relationship between science and policy. It also mentions several organizations related to science like the National Science Foundation and discusses scientists and their work.
Increasing female participation in science and technology careersAlexander Decker
This document summarizes a study on increasing female participation in science and technology careers in Nigeria. It utilized a scale to assess factors influencing science career choices among female students at University of Lagos. The factors included interest, enrollment, masculine image of science, social barriers, role models, school factors, teacher factors, and parental influence. A survey was administered to 375 female students divided into science majors and non-science majors. Results found significant differences between the groups for enrollment, social barriers, and role models, but not for interest, masculine image, school factors, teacher factors, or parental influence. The paper concludes it is a waste of talent if females do not participate equally in science due to barriers.
Scientists use both observation and inference in their work. Observation involves directly gathering evidence using the senses, while inference involves using logical reasoning to understand phenomena that cannot be directly observed, based on observations and prior knowledge. Young students have difficulty understanding the role of inference and often think scientists only use observation. However, with explicit instruction on the difference between observation and inference, as well as opportunities to practice these skills, students can improve their understanding of the scientific process. Teachers should provide multiple opportunities for students to observe, discuss their observations, look for patterns and make inferences to help develop their skills.
[1] This prayer seeks happiness, health, and well-being for all, with no grief.
[2] While some object to prayer seeing it as weakness, the author explains prayers help connect to infinite cosmic powers and remove "blocks" like ego that develop in humans.
[3] Prayers and chanting help reconnect us to the empowering source of consciousness and remove feelings of isolation, reestablishing our link to the greater whole, like leaves reconnecting to the roots of the tree.
A empresa de tecnologia anunciou um novo smartphone com câmera avançada, tela grande e bateria de longa duração por um preço acessível. O aparelho tem como objetivo atrair mais consumidores para a marca e aumentar sua participação no competitivo mercado de smartphones.
The document describes an altercation between characters fighting over the color green. A new character, Jazz, intervenes as a trainer and tells them to come along. It also mentions making a new body for Prime to survive returning from death. Megatron is mentioned, causing others to call for retreat and backup. The document ends with Jazz being excused and a note that the story will be continued.
El documento describe 5 medidas para prevenir el bullying en las escuelas: 1) implementar un decálogo contra la violencia, 2) establecer pautas de disciplina claras, 3) fomentar la comunicación entre la familia y la escuela, 4) utilizar el aprendizaje cooperativo, y 5) enseñar a los estudiantes a resolver conflictos de manera constructiva.
11 niezmiennych zasad skutecznego działania - pobierz darmowy ebook pdfDobre Ebooki
Tytuł: 11 niezmiennych zasad skutecznego działania
Autor: Piotr Adamczyk
Poznaj konkretne i sprawdzone rady, jak skuteczniej działać w swoim życiu.
11 niezmiennych zasad skutecznego działania
W ebooku znajdziesz konkretne i sprawdzone przez tysiące ludzi sukcesu (również przeze mnie) rady dotyczące togo, jak skuteczniej działać w swoim życiu. Jednak żeby one zadziałały i żebyś otrzymał maksymalne korzyści z tych rad, musisz spełnić jeden bardzo ważny i trudny (dla większości ludzi zbyt trudny) warunek — zastosować je w życiu.
Niestety, samo przeczytanie tego krótkiego poradnika Ci nic nie da. Jedynie wykorzystanie go w prawdziwym życiu i zastosowaniu tych rad w codziennych sytuacjach zwiększy Twoją skuteczność. Nie będzie to lekkie, łatwe i przyjemne, jednak rezultaty i zyski, które dzięki temu osiągniesz, w całości zrekompensują Ci poniesiony wysiłek. Mogę Ci to zagwarantować.
UWAGA: Rady, które znajdziesz w tej publikacji, nie są wyssanymi z palca pomysłami. Są to zasady i pryncypia sukcesu, których nauczają takie sławy, jak Brian Tracy, Anthony Robbins czy Stephan Convey. Ci wszyscy wielcy myśliciele pomogli niezliczonym rzeszom ludzi osiągnąć spektakularne sukcesy i całkowicie odmienić swoje życie. Miej to na uwadze, kiedy zacznie Ci świtać w głowie myśl: „Eee, to niemożliwe” albo: „To zbyt proste, żeby było prawdziwe”.
Otrzymaj ebooka zupełnie za darmo!
Aby otrzymać ebooka, wystarczy złożyć zamówienie. Realizacja zamówienia nastąpi natychmiast, ponieważ publikacja jest darmowa. Jeśli się zdecydujesz, to już za chwilę będziesz mógł w pełni korzystać ze wskazówek zawartych w ebooku.
The document discusses the importance and functions of prehospital patient care reports (PPCRs). PPCRs serve several important purposes: as a medical record, for continuity of care, administrative/billing purposes, legal protection, education, and quality improvement. The document outlines the components and proper format of PPCRs, including the use of standardized templates, chronological documentation of assessments and treatments, and guidelines for special situations like mass casualty incidents or patient refusals. Accurate, objective, and complete documentation is emphasized.
This document provides an introduction to healthcare law in the UK. It discusses several key areas of law including criminal law, civil law, sources of law such as statutes and common law. It also covers legal issues that commonly arise in healthcare such as negligence, consent, data protection, and treatment disputes. The document aims to give healthcare professionals an overview of the legal issues and responsibilities they should be aware of in their practice.
La norma ISO 9000 es un estándar para sistemas de administración de la calidad. Las OHSAS 18.000 son una serie de estándares voluntarios internacionales relacionados con la gestión de seguridad y salud ocupacional. La Comisión de Seguridad e Higiene tiene como finalidad coordinar la revisión de las condiciones de seguridad e higiene en las instalaciones de una empresa.
The document provides instructions for launching an M-Pin Core service instance on Amazon EC2. It describes choosing an Amazon Machine Image, instance type, storage options, and configuring security groups. The steps also cover accessing the M-Pin Core trial demo and configuring the instance host and port. Once launched, the M-Pin Core service can be accessed in a browser to create identities and pins for strong authentication testing.
The document provides details and rules for Phase II of the GOAL competition. It outlines two challenges - designing a smart bin for a smart city and creating an interface to allow visually impaired people to access the internet through braille. Teams of 4-5 people must submit a battle plan by May 15th detailing their proposed solution. The winning teams will receive a 45-day internship at GreyOrange to implement their solution, with materials funded by GreyOrange. Battle plans will be judged based on addressing requirements, proposed budget, timeline, team overview, and originality.
The document summarizes several stories from the College of Science and Technology (CST) at Temple University:
1) CST researchers have assembled the largest and most accurate tree of life calibrated to time, revealing that the emergence of new species has occurred at a constant rate, contrary to predictions that diversification would slow as ecological niches filled up.
2) CST's MARC program, which supports underrepresented students in biomedical research, has been awarded continued NIH funding and has seen many graduates enter top graduate programs.
3) A CST physics professor's technology for enhancing crude oil pipeline flow through reducing viscosity has been successfully field tested on a major U.S. pipeline.
The document discusses a program called "Growing Tall Poppies" developed by researchers at the University of Melbourne in partnership with Santa Maria College, a girls' school. The program aims to increase the number of girls studying physics in secondary school and continuing into Years 11 and 12. A longitudinal study found that the program significantly increased both the number of girls choosing Year 11 physics and retaining into Year 12 physics. The program is focused on engaging students with current research projects in an authentic science environment. It promotes science learning through relevance, cross-disciplinary links, and involvement in real research with scientists.
Radians School News Letter, Issue 14 science fair edition!! acastrodad
Radians School promotes student scientific research by having students conduct their own science projects. Some examples given include a student who won an award for his science project and is now studying at Cornell, another student who received an award for his freshman chemistry work at Purdue, and a student who presented his renewable energy project in Panama. The document discusses how science projects provide students with real-world learning experiences in areas like writing, research, presentation skills, time management, and communication. They also help students develop important skills like planning and inquiring about the world around them. Radians School encourages these projects through its various programs like its agricultural research program.
[1] This prayer seeks happiness, health, and well-being for all, with no grief.
[2] While some object to prayer seeing it as weakness, the author explains prayers help connect to infinite cosmic powers and remove "blocks" like ego that develop in humans.
[3] Prayers and chanting help reconnect us to the empowering source of consciousness and remove feelings of isolation, reestablishing our link to the greater whole, like leaves reconnecting to the roots of the tree.
A empresa de tecnologia anunciou um novo smartphone com câmera avançada, tela grande e bateria de longa duração por um preço acessível. O aparelho tem como objetivo atrair mais consumidores para a marca e aumentar sua participação no competitivo mercado de smartphones.
The document describes an altercation between characters fighting over the color green. A new character, Jazz, intervenes as a trainer and tells them to come along. It also mentions making a new body for Prime to survive returning from death. Megatron is mentioned, causing others to call for retreat and backup. The document ends with Jazz being excused and a note that the story will be continued.
El documento describe 5 medidas para prevenir el bullying en las escuelas: 1) implementar un decálogo contra la violencia, 2) establecer pautas de disciplina claras, 3) fomentar la comunicación entre la familia y la escuela, 4) utilizar el aprendizaje cooperativo, y 5) enseñar a los estudiantes a resolver conflictos de manera constructiva.
11 niezmiennych zasad skutecznego działania - pobierz darmowy ebook pdfDobre Ebooki
Tytuł: 11 niezmiennych zasad skutecznego działania
Autor: Piotr Adamczyk
Poznaj konkretne i sprawdzone rady, jak skuteczniej działać w swoim życiu.
11 niezmiennych zasad skutecznego działania
W ebooku znajdziesz konkretne i sprawdzone przez tysiące ludzi sukcesu (również przeze mnie) rady dotyczące togo, jak skuteczniej działać w swoim życiu. Jednak żeby one zadziałały i żebyś otrzymał maksymalne korzyści z tych rad, musisz spełnić jeden bardzo ważny i trudny (dla większości ludzi zbyt trudny) warunek — zastosować je w życiu.
Niestety, samo przeczytanie tego krótkiego poradnika Ci nic nie da. Jedynie wykorzystanie go w prawdziwym życiu i zastosowaniu tych rad w codziennych sytuacjach zwiększy Twoją skuteczność. Nie będzie to lekkie, łatwe i przyjemne, jednak rezultaty i zyski, które dzięki temu osiągniesz, w całości zrekompensują Ci poniesiony wysiłek. Mogę Ci to zagwarantować.
UWAGA: Rady, które znajdziesz w tej publikacji, nie są wyssanymi z palca pomysłami. Są to zasady i pryncypia sukcesu, których nauczają takie sławy, jak Brian Tracy, Anthony Robbins czy Stephan Convey. Ci wszyscy wielcy myśliciele pomogli niezliczonym rzeszom ludzi osiągnąć spektakularne sukcesy i całkowicie odmienić swoje życie. Miej to na uwadze, kiedy zacznie Ci świtać w głowie myśl: „Eee, to niemożliwe” albo: „To zbyt proste, żeby było prawdziwe”.
Otrzymaj ebooka zupełnie za darmo!
Aby otrzymać ebooka, wystarczy złożyć zamówienie. Realizacja zamówienia nastąpi natychmiast, ponieważ publikacja jest darmowa. Jeśli się zdecydujesz, to już za chwilę będziesz mógł w pełni korzystać ze wskazówek zawartych w ebooku.
The document discusses the importance and functions of prehospital patient care reports (PPCRs). PPCRs serve several important purposes: as a medical record, for continuity of care, administrative/billing purposes, legal protection, education, and quality improvement. The document outlines the components and proper format of PPCRs, including the use of standardized templates, chronological documentation of assessments and treatments, and guidelines for special situations like mass casualty incidents or patient refusals. Accurate, objective, and complete documentation is emphasized.
This document provides an introduction to healthcare law in the UK. It discusses several key areas of law including criminal law, civil law, sources of law such as statutes and common law. It also covers legal issues that commonly arise in healthcare such as negligence, consent, data protection, and treatment disputes. The document aims to give healthcare professionals an overview of the legal issues and responsibilities they should be aware of in their practice.
La norma ISO 9000 es un estándar para sistemas de administración de la calidad. Las OHSAS 18.000 son una serie de estándares voluntarios internacionales relacionados con la gestión de seguridad y salud ocupacional. La Comisión de Seguridad e Higiene tiene como finalidad coordinar la revisión de las condiciones de seguridad e higiene en las instalaciones de una empresa.
The document provides instructions for launching an M-Pin Core service instance on Amazon EC2. It describes choosing an Amazon Machine Image, instance type, storage options, and configuring security groups. The steps also cover accessing the M-Pin Core trial demo and configuring the instance host and port. Once launched, the M-Pin Core service can be accessed in a browser to create identities and pins for strong authentication testing.
The document provides details and rules for Phase II of the GOAL competition. It outlines two challenges - designing a smart bin for a smart city and creating an interface to allow visually impaired people to access the internet through braille. Teams of 4-5 people must submit a battle plan by May 15th detailing their proposed solution. The winning teams will receive a 45-day internship at GreyOrange to implement their solution, with materials funded by GreyOrange. Battle plans will be judged based on addressing requirements, proposed budget, timeline, team overview, and originality.
The document summarizes several stories from the College of Science and Technology (CST) at Temple University:
1) CST researchers have assembled the largest and most accurate tree of life calibrated to time, revealing that the emergence of new species has occurred at a constant rate, contrary to predictions that diversification would slow as ecological niches filled up.
2) CST's MARC program, which supports underrepresented students in biomedical research, has been awarded continued NIH funding and has seen many graduates enter top graduate programs.
3) A CST physics professor's technology for enhancing crude oil pipeline flow through reducing viscosity has been successfully field tested on a major U.S. pipeline.
The document discusses a program called "Growing Tall Poppies" developed by researchers at the University of Melbourne in partnership with Santa Maria College, a girls' school. The program aims to increase the number of girls studying physics in secondary school and continuing into Years 11 and 12. A longitudinal study found that the program significantly increased both the number of girls choosing Year 11 physics and retaining into Year 12 physics. The program is focused on engaging students with current research projects in an authentic science environment. It promotes science learning through relevance, cross-disciplinary links, and involvement in real research with scientists.
Radians School News Letter, Issue 14 science fair edition!! acastrodad
Radians School promotes student scientific research by having students conduct their own science projects. Some examples given include a student who won an award for his science project and is now studying at Cornell, another student who received an award for his freshman chemistry work at Purdue, and a student who presented his renewable energy project in Panama. The document discusses how science projects provide students with real-world learning experiences in areas like writing, research, presentation skills, time management, and communication. They also help students develop important skills like planning and inquiring about the world around them. Radians School encourages these projects through its various programs like its agricultural research program.
This document discusses evaluating the effectiveness of public service announcements (PSAs) that use celebrity endorsements. It proposes researching whether celebrity endorsements increase the effectiveness of PSAs by measuring audience recall and behavioral change. The research methodology would involve a between-subjects experiment where participants are randomly assigned to view either a PSA with a celebrity endorser or one without. Effectiveness would be assessed by comparing audience recall and willingness to change behavior between the two groups.
This document discusses how a kindergarten teacher, Ms. Randall, assesses her students during a unit on conservation. She uses a formative assessment approach involving feeding up, feedback, and feed forward. She establishes the purpose of the unit to engage students and guide assessments. Through observation and student work, she provides feedback to understand student learning and inform next steps. Her assessment allows for adjustments to instruction to meet evolving student needs.
The University of Notre Dame College of Science welcomed two new faculty members in fall 2013:
1) Luqun Shen joined the Department of Biological Sciences as an assistant professor. His research focuses on understanding how cells sense and respond to environmental stresses using budding yeast as a model organism.
2) John Kwon joined the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry as an assistant professor. His research group uses mass spectrometry-based proteomics to study post-translational modifications and their roles in human disease.
This document discusses research at UNCG and its benefits. It highlights how faculty research enhances teaching by providing real-world experiences for students. Research also generates new knowledge that informs future teaching. Additionally, research benefits the local community through economic activity and by addressing social problems. UNCG aims to fulfill its role as a "steward of place" through collaborative research that improves quality of life.
Dr. Muhsinah L. Morris is an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Spelman College who conducts research on science education and increasing representation of minority women in STEM fields. Her research focuses on using problem-based learning and case-based learning to improve science literacy. She is also studying factors that contribute to the low representation and retention of minority women in STEM disciplines such as mathematics preparation. Her student researchers are working on projects related to computational modeling and using technology like smartphones and tablets in chemistry education.
Yager, stuart o the role of student and teacher creativity nfaerj v25 n3 2012William Kritsonis
Dr. William Allan Kritsonis, Editor-in-Chief, NATIONAL FORUM JOURNALS (Founded 1982). Dr. Kritsonis has served as an elementary school teacher, elementary and middle school principal, superintendent of schools, director of student teaching and field experiences, professor, author, consultant, and journal editor. Dr. Kritsonis has considerable experience in chairing PhD dissertations and master thesis and has supervised practicums for teacher candidates, curriculum supervisors, central office personnel, principals, and superintendents. He also has experience in teaching in doctoral and masters programs in elementary and secondary education as well as educational leadership and supervision. He has earned the rank as professor at three universities in two states, including successful post-tenure reviews.
This document summarizes Re-Imagine Science's efforts to transform how science is done in the US through applying theories like Theory U and the Cynefin Framework. It discusses workshops and events held from 2010-2019 on topics like the individual in systems, cooperativity, complexity theory, and the science of team science. It also introduces the staff and advisors of Re-Imagine Science, whose backgrounds span academia, government, non-profits, and industry. The document advocates for a value-driven science focused on inclusion and sustainability through cross-sector collaboration and long-term teaming.
This document discusses a study on the influence of hands-on experimentation in developing science skills among science major students. It provides background on the importance of engaging students in science education through inquiry-based learning and apprenticeship models. The study aims to determine the impact of hands-on experiments on developing skills like critical thinking, problem-solving, and data analysis. It also seeks to identify the specific experiments conducted, skills developed, and whether there is a significant relationship between experiments and skills. Based on the findings, the study will propose an intervention plan to optimize science education strategies.
Guyana -Understanding Science to Improve Teaching & LearningLearnthenewway
Presentation document given at the Science and Mathematic Teachers Workshop in Georgetown Guyana in October 2012
and ASTA's (Academy of Science Technology and the Arts) high level teachers meeting g
The effect of same gender scientist role modelslbruno1031
The study involves having students first assess their views of science and scientists, then research and develop a mock Facebook page for a scientist of their choosing. Students will view each other's scientist pages and their choices will be analyzed to see if same-gender scientists are preferred
This document discusses the importance of STEM education for physics and increasing the number of female students in physics courses. It argues that STEM and inquiry-based learning are complementary approaches that develop important skills for physics. By supporting elementary teachers to integrate STEM projects into their inquiry-based curriculum, more students, especially females, will likely choose physics courses later on. An example STEM challenge is described where students must transport "radioactive salt" using coffee filters as parachutes, requiring planning, testing, data analysis, and reporting - developing both STEM and inquiry skills in an engaging way.
1. w w w. P alo A l t oOnline.com
Inside:
Summer
Home & Garden
Design
Pulse 16 Transitions 17 Spectrum 18 Eating Out 28 Movies 29 Home 33 Puzzles 59
Palo
Alto
Vol. XXXV, Number 40 July 11, 2014
New Comprehensive Plan: How tall is too tall? Page 5
Arts Pushing the limits of computer-based music Page 25
Sports Menlo grad runs to a new level Page 61
Stoking
a passion
for science
High school interns
seek hands-on
experience beyond
the classroom
Page 22
2. Page 22
Cover Story
n Jill Helms’ laboratory at
Stanford University — past
a glass case filled with skulls
of mice, ducks and a two-headed
pig and shelves stocked with glass
beakers and rows of chemicals —
a group of high school interns are
gathered around a lab work space
feverishly working on a set of ex-
periments.
As one intern gently applies a
piece of transparent film onto a
slide of a mouse tibia sliced as
thin as tissue paper, recent Cas-
tilleja graduate Stephanie Flamen
consults with research assistant
Andrew Smith regarding the sec-
tion of human DNA sequence
displayed on her laptop. The se-
quence has not mutated the way
she had hoped.
In her third summer working at
the lab, Flamen is helping a group
of researchers who are studying
the stem cells of hair follicles and
how certain proteins in the cells
can be stimulated to trigger hair
growth and potentially treat bald-
ness, aid cancer patients who have
lost hair or help individuals with
alopecia.
“When you’re bald you are still
harboring stem cells, but the hair
is in its resting phase. They’ve lost
some signaling that would control
the hair to keep growing,” Flamen
says as she excitedly explained her
team’s work. “We found a certain
protein that could (give signals to
cells) and could make hair grow
longer, which was so cool because
we’re like, ‘Oh, my God, we found
the solution to Rogaine’ — or a
better version of it.”
Flamen is just one of the many
young students passionate about
science who choose to spend their
summers doing internships work-
ing directly with graduate and
doctoral students, postdoctoral
scholars and faculty who lead
publicly and privately funded sci-
ence research at institutions like
Stanford University, University of
California, Santa Cruz, Stanford
School of Medicine, NASA Ames
and Lockheed Martin.
Far from washing glassware and
fetching coffee, interns are given
the responsibility to directly help
with the research, involved in tasks
like pipetting bimolecular sam-
ples, using high-tech lab equip-
ment, analyzing vast amounts of
data and programming. Often-
times the work is later included in
the research’s findings in scientific
papers.
In their 30 to 40 hours per week
for eight to 10 weeks, interns may
want to explore a future career;
others are curious about the real-
world applications of the science
they study in school. Some seek
job experience and a boost for
college applications or the chance
to enter their work in national
competitions like the Siemens
Competition in Math, Science &
Technology or the Intel Science
Talent Search.
And many of their mentors say
the internships not only directly
provide more manpower towards
their research but give them a
chance to inspire the next genera-
tion to pursue science and show
them that research is far from the
stereotype of the “old guy sitting
behind a microscope all day.”
ne of the most vocal
proponents of expand-
ing science, technology,
engineering and mathematics
(STEM) education has been Pres-
ident Barack Obama. In his 2011
State of the Union address, Presi-
dent Obama stated, “Maintaining
our leadership in research and
technology is crucial to America’s
success.”
He outlined a vision to train
100,000 new STEM teachers by
2021, increase students’ science
and math proficiency and prepare
graduates for the rising demand
for STEM-based occupations.
A 2011 brief from the Econom-
ics and Statistics Administration
reported that from 2000 to 2010,
growth in U.S. STEM jobs, at
7.9 percent, was three times as
fast as the 2.6 percent employ-
ment growth in non-STEM jobs.
A 2010 report from the Center on
Education and the Workforce at
Georgetown University projected
that STEM-based occupations
would account for 8.6 million jobs
in 2018 — the second fastest sec-
tor growth behind health care.
One way local researchers and
teachers believe they can inspire
an influx of young scientists and
innovators is to get them beyond
the classroom and show them how
tasks like memorizing the periodic
table and the molecular structure
of amino acids are directly applied
to research in the real world.
Erik Ortega, 18, a recent gradu-
ate of Eastside Preparatory School
in East Palo Alto and intern at
Stanford’s Raising Interest in Sci-
ence and Engineering (RISE) pro-
gram, has learned how seemingly
unrelated sciences can converge in
his work over the past two sum-
mers at the Camarillo Lab.
“You start to see the connections
between biology and mechanical
engineering — at a young age
what everyone thinks is so sepa-
rate. In reality they’re very much
connected,” he says.
The engineering student has as-
sembled about 200 to 300 mouth
guards that house tiny electronic
sensors to study the physical forc-
es and impact on Stanford football
players’ brains as they get hit dur-
ing practice and endure concus-
sions.
“The real-world relevance of
why a particular equation fits a
particular curve in mathematics
... is often lost in the high school
classroom,” says Puragra (Raja)
GuhaThakurta, a professor of
astronomy and astrophysics at
UC Santa Cruz and director of
the Science Internship Program
hosted at the university. “This is
what turns kids off science very
often: They feel they’re doing
something that’s difficult, but
they don’t see any connections
between what they’re doing in
that classroom beyond perfor-
mance on a test or getting into
a college. They don’t see a real-
world relevance for that.”
“You don’t get this hands-on
research (in school),” says Lau-
Castilleja graduate Stephanie Flamen researches how hair follicle stem cells might be stimulated by a signaling pathway to regenerate hair growth while interning in Jill
Helms’ laboratory at Stanford University.
3. Page 23
Cover Story
Research technician Travis Apgar, left, and intern Danielle Jacobsen use a net to catch three-spined
stickleback fish in an estuary adjacent to the Joseph M. Long Marine Laboratory at University of
California, Santa Cruz, while fellow intern Rosie Crisman and doctoral student David Fryxell look on.
Pawanjot Kaur, left, and graduate student Laura Bogar plate cuttings of Suillus brevipes fungus onto
feeder plates to be used in a future experiment on how the fungus fertilizes jack pines and affects
decomposition of organic matter at Stanford University.
ren Nolen, 14, a rising sophomore
at Palo Alto High School who is
working on cataloging thousands
of prehistoric crustacean fossils
as part of the History of Life pro-
gram at the Stanford School of
Earth Sciences. “You get: Here’s
a book, here’s the information you
need to know for the test and what
not. But for this (internship) not
only are you learning the informa-
tion, but you’re actually contrib-
uting. ... It’s a different feeling; it
feels more important.”
Private schools such as Castille-
ja have started to take notice and
begun adjusting their traditional
curriculum to encourage students
to explore science more indepen-
dently in class.
In fall 2012, the school dropped
its AP science program to focus
on a more hands-on and analytical
approach. A key component was
the forming of annual after-school
and weekend “Science Research
Methods Modules,” in which par-
ents and volunteer scientists lead
three-week-long courses as an in-
troduction to their fields of study
and research methods.
Teachers at the school say the
modules and internships can pro-
vide a supplementary experience
for students who might be curious
about science but not inclined to
pursue the more advanced and rig-
orous classes.
“Traditional faculty like myself
used to think that the only way
you’re going to learn science is in
the classroom,” Castilleja chem-
istry teacher Doris Mourad says.
Mourad expressed concern that
they were testing only for students
who could excel in a fast-paced,
very science- and math-oriented
curriculum but were missing those
that did not think of themselves as
scientists.
One parent who leads the astro-
physics module is GuhaThakurta
who took his experiences in men-
toring and formed the Science
Internship Program at UC Santa
Cruz, which pairs high school
students with researchers to assist
them in their projects in a variety
of fields from astronomy to evolu-
tionary biology and biomolecular
engineering.
GuhaThakurta has watched the
program grow from three students
in 2009 to 68 this year, explain-
ing that his biggest sense of pride
comes from teaching students the
nature of research and how the
process is a constant “journey into
the unknown,” including methodi-
cal practice in creativity, critical
thinking and perseverance.
“As a kid you believe, ‘I’m go-
ing to do science and I’m going
to solve some big problem,’ but
all you do at the end is you put a
few pieces into some giant jigsaw
puzzle,” GuhaThakurta says. “Re-
search involves a healthy mix of
these things that don’t have easy
or well-defined solutions. ... It’s a
way to find meaning in the infor-
mation we have access to.”
Stephanie Flamen knows this
well. She describes her team’s
work in the lab as less about pro-
found scientific discoveries and
more about the “mini victories”
that slowly lead them closer to
better answers about how infor-
mation is carried across stem
cells.
“I think some people might hate
being in a place where you might
work there for 10 years and not
really discover anything super-
momentous,” she says. “You have
to be ready to know that you’re not
going to cure cancer and maybe
you won’t cure it in 10 years, or
maybe someone else will cure it
before you, but it’s all part of a
process.”
In quite a contrast to expecta-
tions in the classrooms, many
interns say that one of the most
striking things they learn from
their experience is how failures
are embraced and encouraged in
the field.
“If you fail at something at least
you know out of all the possibili-
ties out there, that won’t work so
you have all the other ones to ex-
plore. It’s not a negative thing,”
says Pawanjot Kaur, 17, a recent
graduate of Kennedy High School
in Fremont working in the RISE
program at Stanford.
Kaur, who is helping researchers
study how certain types of fungus
and fir trees fertilize one another,
says, “I love that they promote that
kind of nature. There’s no such
thing as failing in science.”
eri Gyves, who runs
Gunn High School’s
exploratory program
that places students in internships
and work experience during the
school year, likens the real-world
education to a kind of career test
trial.
“A lot of kids start out and say, ‘I
want to be a vet, I want to be a vet,
I want to be a vet.’ So you work
in a veterinarian’s office and you
love everything about it except for
the blood. Well, that’s a problem,”
she says. “You saved yourself a lot
of time in veterinarian school.”
For Sherry Zhou, 16, a rising ju-
nior at Gunn, the decision to intern
at the Canary Center at Stanford
for Early Cancer Detection was
personal. Zhou lost her grandfa-
ther to pancreatic cancer and was
interested in getting first-hand ex-
perience in the center’s work on
blood-based and imaging tests for
earlier cancer detection.
“I think that if we can find
something that can detect cancer
early enough, then we can have a
high chance of people living lon-
ger and curing cancer,” she says.
“I thought that there’s probably
some better way to find a cure or
detect cancer earlier.”
Zhou is working with postdoc-
toral scholar Fatih Inci on nano-
technology capturing cancerous
cells as they bind to different an-
tibodies.
Nitya Katsuri saw an internship
as a way to escape the boredom
of sitting around the house but
also was attracted to the thrill of
working in a social tech-focused
environment similar to her experi-
ences on Gunn’s robotics’ team.
“Over the summers I need to
keep my mind busy. Honestly
if I were home right now I’d be
freaking out about colleges,” the
16-year-old, rising senior says.
“I wanted to do something that’s
educational and informative and
also fun. I really enjoy work envi-
ronments.”
Katsuri is also interning at the
Canary Center and is working on
designing a computer model that
will map how pancreatic cancer
proteins change over time.
Rebekah Sousae, a molecular
biology graduate student at UC
Santa Cruz and Science Internship
Program mentor, says an impor-
tant takeaway from these intern-
ships is that students discover that
science research isn’t always for
them.
“It’s good to just get in there and
get experience, to shadow people
and figure out if it’s for you or
not,” she says. “Because academia
science is only for a small number
of people, you know you really
have to really like it and want to
be there for lots of hours. It’s a lot.
... In this field you can work really
hard for 10 weeks and not generate
a single data point.”
Still, the interest in gaining
experience working in research
institutions seems to be growing,
especially since they tend to boost
college applications and provide
students the space to develop their
own side research to enter into
the prestigious Siemens and Intel
competitions.
Coordinators often have to sift
through hundreds of applications
from students applying from all
over the country and internation-
ally. One of the most sought after
is the Stanford Institutes of Medi-
cine Summer Research Program,
which alone received about 1,400
applications this year to fill about
70 to 75 openings. Decisions are
based on academic grounds to
help narrow down the number of
prospective candidates — a tough
task in a pool of extremely well-
educated candidates.
But coordinators also recognize
the need to provide opportunities
for students who don’t have the
chance to join accelerated science
programs and express that often-
times the most important quality
of an applicant is a passion for sci-
ence.
Kaye Storm, director of the
RISE internship program, talks
about its mission to recruit stu-
dents who are generally the first
in their family to go to college
or are from a low-income back-
ground and how they might not
have the same opportunities from
the onset.
Raja GuhaThakurta is director
of the Science Internship
Program at UC Santa Cruz.
4. Page 24
Cover Story
As an example, Storm refers to
the “ad hoc” internships in which
students find labs on their own or
with the help of a family member
or friend.
“Typically those are kids with
very educated parents who speak
fluent English and who are com-
fortable poking around Stanford a
little bit ... or have a network and
know somebody who works in a
lab here. The RISE students typi-
cally just don’t have family mem-
bers that can help them in that
way,” she says. “I think it’s impor-
tant to serve all students, not just
the privileged gifted students who
are going to thrive and do well no
matter what because they’ve got
the backing of their school and
parents and siblings.”
Jennifer Saltzman, director of
outreach education at the Stanford
School of Earth Sciences, echoes
that sentiment. The Earth Sciences
program offers a “diversity hono-
rarium” to a select group: students
who are the first in their families
to go to college, a minority under-
represented in the STEM fields or
low-income.
“We want to have a diverse com-
munity of scientists; people from
many different backgrounds bring
many new ideas,” she says. “Just
because we think in different ways
based on where we grew up and
how we grew up, we may not think
that those differences impact how
we think and how we would do
science, but it does. And so with
more ideas, the better chance and
the better opportunity for us to be
successful in understanding how
the earth works.”
The RISE program also tries to
place students in labs run by re-
searchers and faculty who come
from similar backgrounds. Storm
explains that it conveys a sub-
conscious and subtle message in
which students can envision them-
selves in similar roles.
“What it does is it shows that all
Interns Tara Thakurta, left, and Hannah Zhang help UC Santa Cruz graduate student Rebekah Sousae
prepare cell well plates for Sousae’s research on how a type of protein may inhibit changes to the DNA
structure of blood stem cells.
Jacobsen says the internship
experience is helping to break
down any preconceptions she had
that a position in academia is out
of reach, notably since many re-
searchers leading internships are
fairly young. Her mentors, re-
search technician Travis Apgar,
26, and doctoral student Dave
Fryxell, 23, laugh while telling
a story how Fryxell was recently
carded for trying to buy dry ice.
“It makes it easier to see myself
doing something like this in the
future. There’s less of an age gap,
like, ‘Oh, in eight years I could be
doing that’ as opposed to ‘Oh, in
40 years I could be doing that,’
and it just makes it more tangible,”
she says.
aking research acces-
sible is a main reason
why many scientists
are drawn to becoming mentors.
“To see that people make entire
livelihoods out of this and they
derive tremendous job satisfaction
by being immersed in these fields
is probably the most important hu-
man element of the whole thing,”
GuhaThakurta says.
Mentors see it as a way to pay it
forward, citing how a lot of their
own success early on in their ca-
reers was due to help from their
mentors.
“A lot of people think science
is so hard, and they don’t feel like
(they) can do it. (We are) just mak-
ing them realize that pretty much
anyone can do it who really wants
to put their mind to it,” says Shellie
Bench, a Stanford postdoctoral
scholar whose interns research
the phytoplankton community
of the West Antarctic Peninsula.
“There’s nothing special about
scientists, except that they’re more
determined than other people. It
did take me over six years to get
my Ph.D.”
Rebekah Sousae, who has a
background in leadership train-
ing for high school students and
young adults, says that having a
role model and someone readily
available to consult with is a key
reason why students become suc-
Interns Gregor Yock, left, and Erik Ortega work on sanding mouth guards that house electronic sensors
to study the force and impact on football players’ heads as they sustain hits, at the Camarillo Lab at
Stanford University.
kinds of people belong in science
labs, and they too could belong
in a science lab if they wanted to.
The power of role models is really
strong,” she says.
These types of opportunities are
important to start curbing the ra-
cial disparities that exist in STEM
occupations. Roughly 70 percent
of the people in STEM occupa-
tions were Caucasian, 14 percent
Asian, 6.5 percent Hispanic and
6.4 percent African American,
according to an American Com-
munity Survey Report from the
U.S. Census Bureau in 2011. Since
2008, Storm says about 80 percent
of RISE graduates have gone on
to major in math, engineering or
science in college.
Researchers are also passionate
about increasing the number of
girls in labs since women are also
largely underrepresented in STEM
fields. The same 2011 U.S. Census
Bureau report stated that roughly
25.8 percent of those in STEM oc-
cupations are women, compared
to 45.7 percent of all jobs.
GuhaThakurta beams when he
points out that of the 68 interns in
the Science Internship Program,
about two-thirds are girls, a sta-
tistic that made Castilleja student
Rosie Chrisman, 15, “do a silent
cheer” during the program’s ori-
entation.
“I think it’s really great that
more girls are just loving sci-
ence and they’ll probably pursue
science later on. ... It’s great that
we’re kind of fostering that for the
future,” she says.
“Oftentimes girls will be under-
estimated when they’re pursuing
a career in science,” says fellow
Castilleja classmate Danielle Ja-
cobsen, 17, a rising senior. She
is working in the Science Intern-
ship Program helping to collect
data on the body sizes of three-
spined stickleback fish in estuaries
around Santa Cruz and the Central
Coast.
cessful.
“When you look at success rates
of students or really anybody and
take into consideration their eco-
nomic background, their experi-
ences, their natural talents — all
of these different things — the one
thing that they actually find that
is the most important for people’s
future success is how much men-
torship they received.”
GuhaThakurta explains that the
internships also provide a way to
show students how labs are uni-
versal social settings and every-
one, from high school students to
seasoned faculty, plays a role in
advancing the research forward.
“Seeing scientists and engineers
as human and not on an ivory tow-
er somewhere is a very important
part of a kid’s aspirations towards
becoming a scientist,” he says.
Flamen has seen this firsthand
since her beginnings at the Helms
lab. When she first started work-
ing with a mentor three summers
ago, she was handed complex sci-
entific papers to read and says she
couldn’t even understand the title.
“I just remember thinking, ‘I’m
going to die here,’” she laughs.
After Flamen passed the initial
learning curve, she says the lab’s
researchers have always sought
out her help and creativity when
stumped with a problem.
“What’s so great about this lab
is everyone really values interns,
and they want other people to
learn. It’s not just like, ‘Oh, they’re
just here for the summer, (so) give
them a little bit of stuff’; it’s really
like, ‘Treat them as if they’re go-
ing to be your lab partner for life,’”
she says.
Researchers say that providing
these kinds of hands-on experi-
ences, mentorships and scientific
nurturing is integral in getting
more and more young people to
think about the growing demand
for STEM careers and lead the
way of future scientific research.
Students like Flamen say they
have developed a newfound ex-
citement about science from their
experience.
“If you look at a science text-
book from 100 years ago ver-
sus one today there’s been huge
leaps. ... I think that science is
just something that’s never going
to be finished. ... It’s something
we’re continuing on, and I think
that’s what’s really cool about it —
not knowing what the future of it
is. And I think it’s really cool to
be a part of something that, who
knows, could one day cure a dis-
ease or something like that,” she
says.
Staff Photographer Veronica
Weber can be emailed at vwe-
ber@paweekly.com.
On the cover: Gunn High
School student Sherry Zhou
prepares a cell culture plate
to be used in an experiment
to test how cancer cells can
be captured using different
antibodies that bind to the
cells, at the Canary Center
at Stanford. Photo by
Veronica Weber.