Research Apprentice Program Prepares High School Students for College, Encourages Careers in Science and Engineering

Date: Oct. 1, 2004
Contact: Chris Sutton ( chris@ea.ucla.edu )
Phone: 310-206-0540

Students conducted experiments in several UCLA labs as part of the SMARTS Research Apprentice Program in August, 2004.

High school students worked side by side with UCLA graduate student mentors in several laboratories this summer as part of the UCLA SMARTS Research Apprentice Program.

SMARTS, which stands for Science, Mathematics Achievement and Research Technology for Students, is a UCLA summer program designed to give additional math and science training to students who traditionally under-participate in STEM careers (science technology engineering math). The program is administered through the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science by the Center for Excellence in Engineering and Diversity (CEED).

Students aged 16 and 17 years old were paired with an undergraduate student and together they conducted research in the School's research labs. Outside the labs, some of the students took math classes equal to five hours of honors credit at their school, while others took an AP calculus readiness class that gave them an early hint of what to expect when they began their calculus classes in the fall.

"The research apprentice program provides young students with access to the university research experience," said Linda Robertson, associate director at CEED. "Combined with the positive influence of mentoring, we believe the program enhances students' success in academic competitive environments."

The research apprentice program is one of many CEED administers to build partnerships between the university and the K-12 community, in an effort to strengthen student interest and competencies in science, technology, engineering and math.

"The program provides our faculty with a direct link to student talent in local or urban communities," said Robertson.

Some researchers studied the human genome and learned about DNA sequencing techniques, while others extracted DNA from an African rain forest tree and studied their genotypes.

All the students who completed research projects during the six-week apprentice program were given a stipend, and every Friday the students took SAT prep classes through Ivy West Educational Services. SMARTS organizers also arranged special events, including meetings with admissions and financial aid representatives, laboratory and dorm tours, and an industry career luncheon at which students received their own business cards and met local industry professionals who outlined career options for engineering and science majors.

Several of the students conducted experiments in labs at the Center for Scalable and Integrated Nanomanufacturing (SINAM), an NSF-funded Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center at UCLA whose mandate is to establish an array of new nano-manufacturing technologies.

"SINAM has a responsibility to attract a diverse group of students into engineering," said professor Adrienne Lavine, SINAM's director of education and outreach. "We need to convince more students that exciting work and research opportunities do exist, particularly in the field of nanoscale research."

In one SINAM lab, for example, the students set about using nano-imprinting to make an electronic circuit with lines smaller than 20 nanometers in width - or one five hundredth of the diameter of a human hair.

"Nano-scientific discoveries are taking place in labs across the country, but without new nano-manufacturing solutions many of these breakthroughs would be unworkable," said Lavine. "SINAM focuses on establishing these new manufacturing paradigms, and the opportunities for young researchers to contribute in the next several years are tremendous."

In addition to SINAM's nanoscience labs, student researchers conducted experiments in biomedical engineering and computer science labs. Some researchers studied the human genome and learned about DNA sequencing techniques, while others extracted DNA from an African rain forest tree and studied their genotypes. In still other experiments, students practiced using microcontrollers and learned digital image enhancement methods.

John Zhang, a 24-year-old graduate student in the bioengineering department, selected three students from Pacific Palisades high school to join him in a project that Zhang created specifically for the research apprentice program. At first they had to learn the basics of computer programming and electronics. After three weeks, he started them on a robotics project.

"I had them use microcontrollers to control the direction of a robot, how to go forward, backward, turn," said Zhang. "For a final project, the robot had to navigate through a maze."

Joy Park studied microcontrollers and took part in a robotics project through the research apprentice program.

Microcontrollers are found in virtually every electronic device, from microwaves to cellular phones, translating user commands into specific actions, whether it is cooking popcorn on high for one minute or checking a voicemail message.

"Every day we programmed the robot to do more difficult tricks and it was really interesting to see how it all worked," said Joy Park, a 17-year-old senior from Pacific Palisades. "I learned a lot and now, I would like to do more research in college."

Zhang was impressed with the students' ability to learn quickly. "They're getting a lot better at using computers and the Internet to search for information. It's a lot different from when I was in high school, when the Internet was just beginning."

"I wish I had a chance like this back in high school," said Zhang. "You can't explain engineering. You have to do it."