Mega, Y. J., & Duggan, C., & Sullivan, D., & Horn, L., & Dimarzio, C. A. (2012, June), Young Scholars Program: Summer Research Opportunities for Gifted and Talented Students  Paper presented at 2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, San Antonio, Texas. 10.18260/1-2--22258

\bibitem{asee_peer_22258}
  Mega, Y. J., \& Duggan, C., \& Sullivan, D., \& Horn, L., \& Dimarzio, C. A. (2012, June), \emph{Young Scholars Program: Summer Research Opportunities for Gifted and Talented Students}
  Paper presented at 2012 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition, San Antonio, Texas.
  10.18260/1-2--22258

Yair Joseph Mega P.E., Claire Duggan, Daniel Sullivan, Lauren Horn, and Charles A. Dimarzio.  "Young Scholars Program: Summer Research Opportunities for Gifted and Talented Students".  2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, San Antonio, Texas, 2012, June.  ASEE Conferences, 2012.  https://strategy.asee.org/22258 Internet.  09 Jun, 2024

\bibitem{asee_peer_22258}
  Yair Joseph Mega P.E., Claire Duggan, Daniel Sullivan, Lauren Horn, and Charles A. Dimarzio.
  "Young Scholars Program: Summer Research Opportunities for Gifted and Talented Students".
  \emph{2012 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition, San Antonio, Texas, 2012, June}.
  ASEE Conferences, 2012.
  https://strategy.asee.org/22258 Internet.  09 Jun, 2024

@INPROCEEDINGS{asee_peer_22258
author = "Yair Joseph Mega P.E., Claire Duggan, Daniel Sullivan, Lauren Horn, and Charles A. Dimarzio"
title = "Young Scholars Program: Summer Research Opportunities for Gifted and Talented Students"
booktitle = "2012 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition"
year = "2012"
month = "June"
address = "San Antonio, Texas"
publisher = "ASEE Conferences"
note = {https://strategy.asee.org/22258}
number = {10.18260/1-2--22258}
}

TY  - CPAPER
AB  -           Poster – Young Scholars Program - Summer Research             Opportunities for Gifted and Talented StudentsThe Young Scholars Program was launched at NU in 1989, with funding from theNational Science Foundation (NSF) in response to a national shortage of qualified U.S.citizens moving into STEM careers.1 The first generation of this program ran from 1989-1997. In 2004, the program was reestablished with support from a private foundation.Increased attention and support of this program grew from recommendations made in the                                                        2national report, ―Rising Above The Gathering Storm,‖ that noted the need for expandedexperiential learning experiences in STEM for K–12 students. The model developed atNU has been refined to become a comprehensive learning experience for programparticipants and staff. NUYSP offers future scientists and engineers a unique opportunityfor hands-on experience while still in high school. It also provides faculty and graduatestudents across the campus the opportunity to mentor the next generation of STEMprofessionals. Open to Greater Boston area applicants who have completed theirsophomore or junior year in high school, the program encourages the participation ofstudents from all income levels, providing a stipend for the program’s duration.As the globalization of the economy continues, the depth of knowledge and experiencerequired to be successful in the workforce continues to rise. Classroom learningexperiences can be greatly enhanced by means of summer enrichment programs,especially for gifted and talented students. The US has seen some progress in national testscores, however high ability student interest in STEM careers continues to declineaccording to a recently released study (Lowell, Salzman, Bernstein, Henderson 2009).3          “Our findings indicate that STEM retention along the pipeline          shows strong and even increasing rates of retention from the          1970s to the late 1990s. The overall trend of increasingly strong          STEM retention rates, however, is accompanied by simultaneous          and sometimes sharp declines in retention among the highest          performing students in the 1990s. (Lowell et al, executive          summary, pii)”This report shows with statistical significance that while the percentage of students inSTEM majors has remained relatively the same over the last twenty years, the percentageof those students identified as top achievers (defined as those with the highest SAT/ACTscores) has decreased (Lowell et al, p20). Fewer and fewer gifted and talented highschool and undergraduate students are opting for STEM pathways and of those whochoose that path, fewer persist to the degree.One way to attract and retain student interest in STEM fields and careers is to providestudents with experiences that illuminate the practical application of science and to1   As reported in the 1983 publication A Nation at Risk by the National Commission on Excellence in Education.2  Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future (2006),Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy. Prepublication. The National Academies Press, Washington DC.http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11463.html3  Steady as She Goes? Three Generations of Students through the Science and Engineering Pipeline (2009) - B.Lindsay Lowell, Hal Salzman, Hamutal Bernsteina with Everett Henderson. Paper presented at: Annual Meetings of theAssociation for Public Policy Analysis and Management Washington, D.C. November 7, 2009. A summary of the reportwas published in Education Week: STEM Defection Seen to Occur After High School – Sean Cavanagh, October 28,2009support these students socially as they complete high school and move on to theirundergraduate experience.What separates NU from other universities is also what separates the Young ScholarsProgram from other enrichment programs for high school students: experience basedlearning. NU combines classroom studies with experiential learning to allow the practicalapplications to come alive. The YSP program allows students to apply their baseknowledge in the areas of science, math and engineering in a way that deepens theirunderstanding and prepares them for careers in these fields and for a lifetime ofachievement.The program seeks to maintain a balance between academic and social components,providing students an opportunity to build relationships with university students andfaculty in addition to fellow participants. Our objective is to create and support a STEMcommunity well beyond the six-week summer experience.Program Goals and Objectives     1. Introduce students to the research environment – Students will be able to        identify appropriate materials, equipment, safety measures, and necessary tasks        that need to be completed within the lab. Students will conduct experiments,        analyze and interpret results, and organize presentations based upon their        research. Additionally, students will understand the ethics of conducting        scientific research and will be able to recognize issues related to intellectual        property.     2. Prepare students for college – Students will be able to identify schools that        meet their interests and will understand the process of applying to a university        or college. By practicing writing a college essay and hearing from admissions        counselors, students will be prepared for the application process that lies ahead.        Students will also have a better understanding of the diversity of a college        campus after they experience the mixed socioeconomic, racial, and cultural        backgrounds of fellow participants, and the range of students they encounter in        the lab setting—from undergraduates to post-doctoral researchers.     3. Teach students to work collaboratively – Students will be able to demonstrate        their ability to work as a member of the research team. Teams will each create        a PowerPoint and Research Poster which will be presented to program        participants, research mentors, families and friends, funders, and the        Northeastern community at large.     4. Increased exposure to STEM pathways – Students will be exposed to a        variety of STEM fields during weekly research seminars, special presentations        by lead faculty and staff from STEM departments, and field excursions to        STEM industries. These presentations and excursions will introduce students        to a variety of STEM professionals, allowing them to gain a better        understanding of the numerous opportunities available with a STEM        background.     5. Continue Networking and Support –By means of various available platforms,        past participants will remain connected with the greater Young Scholars        community—past students, coordinators, and Northeastern faculty and staff.        The YSP program has established a presence on social and professional        networking sites (Facebook and LinkedIn, respectively) in order to provide        students the ability to remain connected as friends and as potential colleagues.Research Assignments and Participating FacultyEach year, a request is sent out to partnering faculty from affiliated centers and researchprograms, as well as any new faculty who have expressed an interest in outreach.Typically, the program will receive more research assignments than it has funding towork with. Recent research assignments included but were not limited to the followingtopics: Nanotechnology for gene therapy; Noninvasive brain-computer interface design;Nitrite/nitrate removal in wastewater; Effect of drop landing on the knee joint stress fieldand ACL injury; Investigating jet fuels using gas chromatography; and Spin spraydeposited microwave magnetic materials. Supporting faculty are drawn from across thecampus, providing a wide range of offerings for participants.Post ProgramThe NUYSP has had approximately 293 student participants to date. Since the programwas resurrected in 2004, there have been 130 students. Over 94 percent have chosen tomajor in a STEM-related field including Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science,Engineering, Nursing, Physics, and Pre-Med at some of the most prestigious institutionsacross the country. Additionally, we continue to request feedback from studentsregarding how their experiences with the Young Scholars Program have continued tohave an effect on them as they continue through college.
AU  - Yair Joseph Mega P.E.
AU  - Claire Duggan
AU  - Daniel Sullivan
AU  - Lauren Horn
AU  - Charles A. Dimarzio
CY  - San Antonio, Texas
DA  - 2012/06/10
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Young Scholars Program: Summer Research Opportunities for Gifted and Talented Students
UR  - https://strategy.asee.org/22258
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--22258
ER  -