Students Take Part in Science Apprenticeships

High school science students have the opportunity to participate in the Apprenticeships in Science and Engineering program (ASE), a project where they get to research topics of their choice and present them to the public.

The ASE program allows students to work with scientists and engineers for eight weeks over the summer. In the past more than 3,500 students have participated in this program worldwide, including two from Northwest Academy.

The students who choose to participate spend most of their summer working on this internship. Some examples are researching a specific animal at the Oregon Zoo or learning about a disease that has affected many people. The students receive a $1,000 stipend.

“The [ASE] website has the list of official mentor projects,” Molly Sultany, science teacher, said. “Students must pick from this list.”

Jared Kerman, a senior, participated in this program last year. He did a research on Analysis of Mutant Hyperacidic Thermophallic Sulfolobus Spindle Shaped Virus.

“For this project I did a research on viruses from hell, I was able to do my research and study at Portland State University,” Kerman said.

Sarah Hatcher, another senior, has also participated in this program. She did a research on Quantifying Populations of the Endosymbiotic Crytophyte that is Prey for the Bloom-Forming ciliate, Mesodinium major in the Columbia River Estuary.

“Every day for eight weeks I went to Oregon Health and Science University and studied this,” Hatcher said.

This project gives students the opportunity to work with very knowledgeable scientists.

“I think it was really nice to work with actual scientists who have studied this type of science before,” Hatcher said. “It was much easier for me to learn with a specialized scientist, rather than by myself.”

Sultany was very excited about the project’s outcome last year, so she has allowed her students to participate this year as well.

“This year about five or six people are applying to the program,” Sultany said. “This is a wonderful opportunity for students to learn how to handle a job and get a feeling for what the working world is like.”

The transcript and application are due on March 4th, 2016.

For more information about this program go visit Sultany in her office in the tower building, visit here or contact ASE staff at 503-200-5861.