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A
program to introduce gifted high school science students to
contemporary science in a real world setting
Mentor:
Jason Williams,
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Purpose:
A good scientist must be able to communicate and defend his/her
research to his/her scientific peers. The idea that science
does not happen in a vacuum, but is fashioned out of exchange
and guided by peer review is absent from many research experiences
for high school students. While participating in many of the
top science fair programs may give students a taste of what
a career in science is like, participating in a Cold Spring
Harbor meeting can offer a genuine sense of how the scientific
community actually works.
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory's "Professor for a Day"
program will introduce a select group of juniors and seniors
drawn from high schools throughout Long Island who show real
interest in pursuing a career in science to experience a day
at a Cold Spring Harbor meeting. A small group of students
(5-10 max) will get to sit in on a platform session, listen
to the talks, and attend one of the meeting's poster sessions,
as well as take a tour of the Laboratory, and meet some of
the scientists who congregate at Cold Spring Harbor to exchange
the latest concepts and methods in their field of science.
We will also have a special session for the students focusing
on perusing an academic path from high school to college with
a focus on independent research, mentorship, and other useful
advice.
Information is and applications are available via links at
the end of this page. You may contact Jason Williams at 516-367-5180.
The number of students that can be accepted is very limited,
so please send completed applications in as soon as possible.
Requirements for local High Schools interested in participating:
1) High schools are responsible for encouraging interested
to apply as well as helping to coordinate them in the application
process, as only a limited number of meeting days/spaces are
available each year. High school science teachers should choose
Junior or Senior year students selectively, based on the interest,
enthusiasm, and abilities of individual students, as the program
is intended to be widely distributed amongst Long Island schools.
Science teachers should liaise directly with Jason Williams
to nominate individual students for this program.
2) Please note that schools and/or individual students are
responsible for transportation arrangements to and from the
Laboratory. Breakfast and lunch are provided by the Laboratory.
Program Dates 2008:
Thursday May 15th
Friday May 30th
Friday August 15th
Friday August 22nd
Comments
from past attendees:
"It was a great experience. It was very interesting to
learn how these conventions work. I can see how they are invaluable
for scientists to exchange ideas and stay informed of current
research in their areas. Everyone I talked to was eager to
explain their work at the poster session." - Hannah Payne,
Huntington H.S.
"The
program was great. To witness science in action-including
the energetic exchange of ideas, hypotheses and experiments,
was eye-opening for me. The fact that scientists stood up
there refuting previous research and then proposing newfound
solutions and theories was fascinating. I am better equipped
and prepared to undertake my research project this summer."
- Nandini Venkateswaran, Herricks H.S.
"The
advice about how to choose a mentor and being persistent in
your research will be very helpful. My favorite part of the
day was the poster session. We could wander to whichever projects
we were curious about. The presenters were really great about
answering my questions and explaining their research to me."
- Vivian Chang, Half Hollow Hills H.S. West
Information
Letter
Application
Form
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