High school seniors are being given the opportunity to gain experience in scientific methods thanks to a new program at the University of New Mexico funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Led by Associate Professor, Terefe Habteyes in the Department of Chemistry and Medicine and the Center for High Technology Materials (CHTM), the High School Incoming Senior Research (HSISR) program exposes students to future career paths in science.
For six weeks in the summer, five high school students were given the opportunity to do something they would not normally do in their high school classes: conduct experiments in a technology research laboratory. The high school students came from Atrisco Heritage Academy High School, La Cueva High School, Hope Christian School, and the Albuquerque School of Excellence. They worked with Habteyes and a graduate student to develop their own project and gain experience in how to conduct research in a modern building.
The experience made possible by the NSF CAREER award was obtained by the Habteyes research laboratory with the aim of exposing high school students to the field before their senior year. This is the time when students begin to think about their college options, and programs like HSISR will help inform their decisions as they begin to think about their future choices.
When asked why he decided to attend HSISR this summer, Sammy Hadgu, an incoming senior at La Cueva High School, said, “I was interested in learning more about nanoparticles, but I also wanted to get an internship as well.. I know that a summer internship is very important in colleges when applying for them, so I thought about it and realized that it was an interesting thing that I did to put my resume.
In order to have as strong an experience as possible, students were assigned to various development-oriented projects over a six-week period. Since none of them had been exposed to a laboratory like this, they were not only taught how to use the equipment but were also given the opportunity to use the equipment available to them in order to develop their research. During this program, all students had the opportunity to use technology devices to study.
Armed with this new knowledge, the students were able to put their learning into practice by investigating a phenomenon called “enhanced plasmon photocatalysis”. A nanoparticle with many unusual properties can be very different from its parent material, depending on a number of factors. In this application, students used metal nanoparticles to concentrate light energy within one billionth of a meter (or nanometer).
By preparing solutions in different conditions, the students were able to study the electrical properties of organic materials by measuring the visible light of the UV light. This approach introduced them to Beer’s Law, which states that the ability to use a solvent is directly proportional to the ability to use a solution.
The experience of being in the University campus is also an exciting introduction for students. Benicio Martinez of Atrisco Heritage Academy High School found this part of the program an added bonus to the experience he gained, saying, “I enjoyed the opportunity to work in laboratories and conduct research in a science field. I also liked the feeling of being on campus to go out to lunch and study at UNM.”
In addition to the guidance of Habteyes, the high school students were also able to work with three students and one graduate teacher to help them develop their projects. The purpose of this event is twofold: 1.) to provide an opportunity to expand learning for high school students, and 2.) to ensure that the projects developed this summer continue to improve, because they will continue still developed by students and graduate students. academic year.
At the end of the program, the students shared their results in a final presentation ceremony on July 22. Speaking about his experience this summer, Jonathan Henok, a senior at La Cueva High School, said, “This internship allowed me to understand. in-depth scientific research in an advanced college program. I enjoyed working with people who were cooperative and friendly, and the other social aspects made the experience enjoyable.
Jonathan Tessema, from the Albuquerque School of Excellence, HSISR found him very proud of being able to achieve something he had never done before. Especially the effect of, “giving a presentation to a group of people and fully understanding the topic.”
Kidus Tekle of Hope Christian Schools found HSISR to be an immediate community of researchers he could relate to, saying, “I’m… glad I shared the experience with four other students like me, which made it even funnier. .”
Habteyes is proud of the summer start of the program and looks forward to being able to provide this experience to many incoming adults in the future. He said, “I was very happy to see that the students have learned a lot in six weeks of working for six hours a day… All in all, it was a very important experience. I really feel that there should be a national competition program to get talented students involved in science at an early age.”
