Pfizer, Solutia fund summer program for high school students
Most high school students anticipate summer break as a reprieve from their studies. However, more than 70 aspiring scientists chose to do the opposite. They participated in and graduated from the Pfizer Inc. and Solutia Inc. 2007 Students and Teachers as Research Scientists (STARS) program at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
Instead of solely indulging in leisure activities and part-time seasonal jobs, the students spent six weeks working on professional research with some of the region’s top biologists, chemists, computer scientists, engineers, medical researchers, physicists and psychologists. The research ranged from neural circuits in the brain to human/robot interaction to evolutionary computation. Meanwhile, other students conducted off-campus ecological and zoological field research everywhere from Cuivre River State Park to Guyana.
“We are delighted to provide this opportunity where senior faculty members share their experiences as they and their research teams direct students in significant research projects,” said Kenneth Mares, director of the STARS program.
For 18 years, UMSL, in cooperation with Washington University in St. Louis, Saint Louis University and the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in Creve Coeur, Mo., has sponsored this intensive summer research program for academically talented junior and senior high school students.
“Pfizer is very pleased to partner with the local universities involved in the STARS program,” said Dan Getman, St. Louis site director at Pfizer Inc. “Many of my colleagues, myself included, were introduced to the excitement of science during our high school years. The STARS program provides a great opportunity for young scientists to explore a career in research and determine their level of interest.”
The STARS program introduces participants to the various aspects of the scientific enterprise as practiced by successful scientists in academic, private or corporate research institutions.
Participants chose one research project from a variety of outstanding opportunities. Fifty-two faculty members from the participating institutions and three scientists from the Danforth Center volunteered for this project. In addition, Pfizer Inc. and Solutia Inc. identified research scientists to make career presentations.
“To secure our nation’s position as a scientific and economic leader, science-based companies like Solutia and our institutions of higher learning must support the growth and development of young scientists through programs like STARS,” said Max McCombs, vice president of Environment, Safety and Health at Solutia Inc.
“STARS is rapidly gaining national and international recognition as one of the premier college prep educational opportunities for high school juniors and seniors with a special interest in the sciences. Solutia is proud of the accomplishments of the faculty, staff and students of STARS, and we look forward to continuing our close relationship with the program.”
This year’s STARS program, “Experiencing the Scientific Enterprise to Enhance Science Education,” was held June 11 through July 20 at UMSL. Besides conducting research and presenting papers, students took part in career workshops, attended lectures by leading scientists in the St. Louis community and enjoyed evening social activities.
The 2007 STARS graduating students and their schools are:
* Anatolia College of Thessaloniki (Greece): Klea Miho, Konstantinos Primerakis
* Block Yeshivah High School: Leia Wachsstock
* Brentwood High School: Nathan Manhanke
* Choate Rosemary Hall (Wallingford, Conn.): Stephanie Choi
* Clayton High School: Brittany Hutchins, Michal Hyrc, Ka-chuan Suen
* Crossroads College Preparatory School: Micaela Blank, Jordan Carter, George Lynch
* Fayetteville High School (Arkansas): Louise Li
* Francis Howell Central High School: Sarah Fraser, Patrick Kennedy
* International Academy (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.): Kevin Shih
* Iowa City West High School (Iowa): Jee Yae Lee
* John Burroughs School: Nicole Carter, Alexander Guzov, Michelle Hwang, Mike Jin, Amol Pai, Andrew Stuhl, Emily Thaisrivongs
* Ladue Horton Watkins High School: Jack Chen, Noah Duncan, Dylan Estep, Alexander Tereshchenko
* Lafayette High School: John Hardin, Tracy Wang
* Lincoln High School (San Jose, Calif.): Esseim Sharma
* Lindbergh High School: Austin Hope, Jonathan Powers
* Marquette High School: Laura April, Erica Cao, Srikar Darsi
* Mary Institute and Saint Louis Country Day School: Kelsey Anderson, Trina Ghosh, Amit Jain, William Schlesinger
* Metro Academic and Classical High School: Alba Stavri
* Missouri Academy: Sybil Coe, Niharika Rath
* North Broward Preparatory School (Coconut Creek, Fla.): Jordan Masanoff
* Parkway Central High School: Ching-Ting Hwang, Hannah Lee, Erin Li, Andrew Liu
* Parkway North High School: Kathleen Beilsmith, Swathi Chidambaram, Eliot Prokop, Pooja Rajgura, Punit Vachharajani
* Parkway South High School: Ifrah Ahmed, Firas Naji, Diana Xhu
* Parkway West High School: Zarir Ahmed, Charles Smith, Samir Unni
* Paul D. Schreiber High School (Port Washington, N.Y.): Madeline Mirzoeff
* Pine Crest School (Boca Raton, Fla.): Lindsey Brown
* Rockwood Summit High School: Mara Coleman
* St. Louis University High School: John Berger, Stephen Schumacher
* The Hill School (Pottstown, Pa.): Jung Ho Yeom
* The Summit Country Day School (Cincinnati): Kelayne Wilson
* Troy High School (Michigan): Gina Hyun, Prithvi Murthy
* Visitation Academy: Amelia Chivetta
* Wentzville Holt High School: Chanise Cyrus, Grace Harper, Colin Park
* Westminster Christian Academy: Elizabeth Karslake
* Wichita High School East (Kansas): Hema Navaneethan
Call Ken Mares at (314) 516-6155 for more information about the STARS program.
