EMU High School Summer Science Program wraps up the summer of 2024 with another successful year

The EMU High School Summer Science Program is a three-week summer research experience for local high school students. Participants were matched with faculty and student mentors, engaging in original scientific research projects and various skill-building activities such as safety training, ethics workshops, and career development sessions. The program aimed to teach students hand-on lab skills, the significance of scientific communication, and to foster an inclusive environment encouraging low-income, first-generation, and underrepresented students to pursue science. Ten students participated in the 2024 program, funded by Michigan Space Grant Consortium and the National Science Foundation. The program, now in its sixth year, saw significant improvements in students' scientific skills and enthusiasm for research.

"I learned how research is truly produced, [specifically] the constraints and the problems that one faces when it comes to producing valuable pieces of information," one student shared. "This experience was especially important when it came to helping me think about my future career and academic goals. I was able to converse with my mentors and learned about their own personal experiences and aspirations. They were able to provide me with their own advices using their knowledge and helped me explore some possible career paths I didn’t even think about, including what kind of opportunities were available at EMU. In my experience, I was able to get advice on the scientific majors here, as well as the steps it would take to pursue higher education in the science field."

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