Summer – The Gatton Academy News

Summer 5Q: Josh Song Studies Chemical Engineering at Vanderbilt

August 10, 2010 | 5Q, News, People, Research, Students, Summer | No Comments

When Josh “Moose” Song (Warren, ’11) met Vanderbilt University’s Dr. Kane Jennings in the summer of 2007, he probably didn’t realize just how important the relationship would become.

From that first summer, when Song was a student in Dr. Jennings’ “Introduction to Nanotechnology” class at the Vanderbilt Summer Academy, Song has kept the lines of communication open with Dr. Jennings. This summer it is paying off.

Song has spent two months this summer performing Chemical Engineering research under Dr. Jennings’ guidance. Recently, Dr. Jennings wrote an update on Song’s summer research, gloating about his progress. “Josh is having a terrific experience in the laboratory. He is addressing a key hypothesis we have developed relating to water and ion transfer into superhydrophobic polymer films. I expect that in three more weeks, he will have enough results to make a conclusion regarding the hypothesis, which will help us immeasurably. The quality of his experimental work to date is outstanding,” he wrote.

Song is one of eleven students who were awarded the Gatton Academy’s Research Internship Grant this summer. The grant is available to Gatton Academy students in the summer between their junior and senior years to support students in research opportunities.

Song paused from his research recently to answer some questions:

1. Tell us a little about the project or program in which you are participating this summer that the Research Internship Grant is funding.

My research explores the use of super-hydrophobic films as protective coatings. In this application, we take advantage of how a simple spray of water (such as rain) entirely cleanses glass surfaces. More specifically, I am conducting research to explore the possibility of regaining the super-hydrophobic behavior after an event that causes its deterioration, such as the addition of ethanol into the water solution that is in contact with the film.

To characterize this behavior, I performed contact angles, surface tension, and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) measurements. Contact angles are the simplest way to observe surface properties of the films: the higher the contact angles, the more hydrophobic the film. Surface tension measurements helped us to visualize the difference between various solutions of certain ethanol percentages. Lower surface tensions will cause the super-hydrophobic behavior to break, while relatively high surface tensions will maintain the super-hydrophobic behavior. Lastly, EIS measurements give more detailed information about the surface than simple contact angle measurements. EIS can give much more insight into how the varying amounts of ethanol are interacting with the super- hydrophobic film.

Through my research, I was able to discover that super-hydrophobic behavior cannot be recovered even when only relatively small amounts of ethanol are added to the solution. Even 0.5% Ethanol seems unlikely that the film’s super-hydrophobic characteristics can be recovered. As I continue the research smaller percentages of ethanol will be explored and hopefully we will be able to see that some behavior can be recovered through the removal and diluting of ethanol from the solution at even lesser amounts of ethanol.

2. What is the part of the summer experience you are enjoying most?

Vanderbilt has a great program for talented youth called Vanderbilt Summer Academy and the university has done a great job of making me feel at home and allows me to interact with peers my age who have interests similar to mine. I have attended this program twice before, and it is a truly wonderful experience. The staff has also been very friendly and I am thankful that I am able to spend my summer doing something productive yet still enjoyable.

3. How is this different from the way you think most high school students spend their summers?

I think most high school students spend their summers doing things that, while entertaining, they cannot speak of with pride, saying that they helped make something happen. This summer, not only have I done research, I also helped Western Kentucky University’s Center for Gifted Studies organize the Summer Camp for Academy Talented Students and the Summer Program for Verbally and Mathematically Precocious Youth. I think that while it may have been a summer more taxing and challenging than most, I will be able to look back and say that I was able to do things that I could never have done during the school year, and therefore I think that I have had a more productive summer than most.

4. Will you be using this research experience as a launching point for any particular applications, competitions, or scholarships?

I am definitely looking to use this experience to apply for a few competitions which include the Intel Science Talent Search and the Siemens Competition. I believe that any research opportunity would be a fantastic addition to any college application, and my relationship with Dr. Kane Jennings from the Chemistry Department of Vanderbilt University, which goes back to three summers ago, will benefit me for many years to come whenever I need information about undergraduate, graduate, or postgraduate schools or various competitions or scholarships.

5. How does this research experience or internship fit into your educational and professional goals?

Chemical Engineering is one of the largest and, still, fastest growing areas in the STEM field, and I have also become interested in it. I think this is a great opportunity for me to realize what Chemical Engineering is not only in class but in the lab during the graduate school years.

6. What are you looking forward to the most about your second year at the Academy?

I am thrilled to meet my friends again and it feels as if I’m almost looking forward to going back home. The Academy has a great community and everyone in the building is friendly and helpful. I am also excited to help the juniors become accustomed to life and share my knowledge and wisdom with them.

By Corey Alderdice

Summer 5Q: Sarah Schrader Splits Summer Between China, DNA Sequencing

August 2, 2010 | 5Q, News, People, Research, Students, Summer, WKU | No Comments

Sarah Schrader (Warren, ’11) is one of eleven recipients of the Gatton Academy’s Research Internship Grant for this summer.

Schrader has already characterized a unique phage through the course of the HHMI’s Genome Discovery and Exploration Program during the 2009-10 academic year. However, her phage has never had its DNA sequenced until this summer.

The research that Schrader is undertaking this summer is being managed around an eight-week intensive language study abroad trip with the WKU Chinese Flagship. Before departing for Chongqing, China, Sarah spent the first three weeks of summer re-isolating her phage’s DNA and preparing her samples to be sent off for DNA sequencing to a national laboratory.

When Sarah returns later this month, the DNA sequencing should be complete. With these results, Sarah will resume her research. If all goes to plan, by the summer’s end Sarah will have annotated a unique DNA sequence, which she will submit to the National Center for Biotechnology Information’s DNA sequence database, being listed as the first author of the submission.

In the midst of all of this activity, Sarah managed to answer some questions about her summer research.

1. Tell us a little about the project or program in which you are participating this summer that the Research Internship Grant is funding.

Last year I participated in the Genome Discovery and Exploration Course, which is a national initiative designed to engage college freshmen in authentic research. Another sub-goal of the program is to enhance the growing database of bacteriophage genomes available for researchers. Bacteriophage are viruses that infect bacteria, and, as deadly antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria become more and more common, researching them and their bacteria-destroying capabilities is quickly becoming more and more crucial. During the fall semester of the course, I isolated a novel bacteriophage from the environment. Over winter term, two phage discovered in our class were sent off to sequencing centers to have their genomes sequenced. The spring semester was spent using computer programs to annotate the genome, deciding where each gene started and ended and assigning putative functions to them. Since my phage was not one of those chosen to be sequenced, I decided to work independently this summer to complete its characterization at the genomic level.

2. What is the part of the summer experience you are enjoying most?

So far I have enjoyed the independence this experience has provided me the most. During my research last year, I was still trying to learn techniques and procedures and frequently had to rely on my instructors to guide me. Now, however, I already know how to use equipment I need and how to carry out important procedures and thus don’t have to rely on my supervisor as much, although he is, of course, ready and willing to help should I need anything.

3. How is this different from the way you think most high school students spend their summers?

As soon as summer starts, many high school students flop down on the couch in front of the TV and don’t get up again until the next school year arrives. Even those that have jobs usually work as cashiers, babysitters, or store clerks, and while that is good work experience and a fair source of spending money, ringing up happy meals or chasing little kids around probably doesn’t stimulate their intellects a substantial amount. Some students do choose to go to a variety of different summer camps and programs, some of which do involve science-related subjects. These, however, are usually very structured and strictly supervised. I, on the other hand, have no idea what the results of my research will be and have control over my own schedule as I introduce the scientific world to a completely new if infinitesimal piece of knowledge.

4. Will you be using this research experience as a launching point for any particular applications, competitions, or scholarships?

I plan to use this experience as the basis for my entry to the Siemens Competition and Intel Science Talent Search in the fall and to supplement my application for the Goldwater Scholarship in the spring of next year. Considering the person who won the Intel Science Talent Search this year developed a cancer treatment that utilizes a light energy stimulated drug to kill off cancer cells and the winner of the Siemens Competition researched chemotherapy drug resistance, I’m not expecting much – as far as I know, bacteriophage can’t kill cancer. But they do have the potential to wipe out new menaces like drug resistant tuberculosis and multiple drug resistant staph, so I guess it’s worth a try.

5. How does this research experience or internship fit into your educational and professional goals?

Although I’m not really sure what I want to do, I have been considering a career as a research geneticist. This project ties into that goal quite nicely as it involves the sequencing and annotation of a genome. I am sure that I want to major in biology, and, of course, this project also fits well with this goal.

6. What are you looking forward to the most about your second year at the Academy?

My first year at the Academy was amazing. The classes and professors were outstanding, as were my peers and counselors at Gatton. I was provided so many opportunities to grow as a scholar and a person, and I am truly grateful for them and everyone who worked so hard to give them to me. Right now I am most looking forward to my classes, but also to continuing my research and once again being immersed in the unique environment of Schneider Hall. Next year I know there will be even greater opportunities open to me, and I plan to seize as many of them as I can!

By Corey Alderdice

Gatton Academy Alumni Among Participants in WKU Research Experience for Undergraduates

July 29, 2010 | Academics, Alumni, News, People, Research, Summer, WKU | No Comments

Maggie Matheny, a 2010 graduate of the Gatton Academy, is leaning more toward research in graduate school after a 10-week summer program at WKU. (WKU photo by Bryan Lemon)

Via the WKU News Blog

Nine students from across the United States have been conducting research and preparing for graduate school as part of a National Science Foundation program this summer at WKU.

The WKU Biology Department’s first NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates program will wrap up Aug. 6. Dr. Shivendra Sahi and Dr. Rodney King are directing the grant-funded program focusing on the interdisciplinary field of investigative biotechnology.

Maggie Matheny of Lincoln County, a 2010 graduate of the Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky, said the 10-week summer experience has helped her determine the direction she wants to take for graduate school. “Before I was between research or med school but now I’m definitely leaning more toward research,” Matheny said.

Getting students excited about research and providing hands-on laboratory experience is one of the goals of the NSF-REU program, according to Dr. King, associate professor of biology. “We want to encourage them and get them excited about graduate school,” Dr. King said.

Matheny also has enjoyed the freedom in the program. “I like the fact that the project really is your own,” she said. “If there is a mistake or something doesn’t come out right, it’s your fault and I like the responsibility.” Matheny has been working with Dr. Sigrid Jacobshagen on a project to see which photoreceptor starts the domino effect that resets the circadian clock.

Amanda Nolan, a student from Stephen F. Austin State University in Texas, also has used the experience to prepare for graduate school. “ I’m coming away from this with knowledge that I probably wouldn’t have until graduate school, so I’ll have a heads up on people going into grad school,” said Nolan, who has been working with Dr. King on two projects that deal with bacteriophages.

Other students participating in the June 1-Aug. 6 program are: Melena Agyemang, Norfolk State University in Virginia (Mentor: Dr. Rajalingam Dakshinamurthy); Mark Callaghan, California State University Monterey Bay (Mentor: Dr. Keith Philips); James Forshee, a Gatton Academy graduate from Simpson County (Mentor: Dr. Claire Rinehart); Alexander Hare, a Gatton Academy graduate from Rowan County (Mentor: Dr. Richard Schugart); Hillary Jones, Georgetown College (Mentor: Dr. Carl Dick); Stephanie Robey, Kentucky Community and Technical College System (Mentor: Dr. Kevin Williams); and Shandrea Stallworth, Fort Valley State University in Georgia (Mentor: Dr. Shiv Sahi).

Students were assigned to a research project based on their interests. The projects have been directed by WKU faculty mentors from Biology, Chemistry and Mathematics and the research topics encompassed broad areas of biotechnology, including animal physiology, plant gene expression, microbiology, virology, biochemistry, protein structure and modeling, bioinformatics, neurophysiology and mathematical biology.

In addition to working closely with faculty mentors and interacting with graduate students, fellow undergraduates and research technicians, students have participated in a series of Office of Scholar Development-sponsored workshops that provided guidance on graduate school applications and grant writing and in a series of faculty-led seminars on reading professional literature and giving scientific presentations.

For more information, contact Rodney King at (270) 745-6910.

By Corey Alderdice

Summer 5Q: Justine Missik Pulls Double Duty with Research Projects

July 29, 2010 | 5Q, News, People, Research, Students, Summer, WKU | No Comments

Rising senior Justine Missik (Boyle, ‘11) is having quite a summer! Justine is one of eleven recipients of the Gatton Academy’s Research Internship Grant, which is available to Gatton Academy students in the summer between their junior and senior years to support students during research experiences.

Missik split her award on two separate experiences. In the early summer, she traveled to Portland, Oregon to attend the Santa Fe Institute’s course on Exploring Complexity in Science and Technology from May 19 -21. This course directly benefits the research work that Justine is performing in theoretical systems ecology and network analysis while at the Gatton Academy with Dr. Albert Meier of WKU’s Department of Biology. Later this summer, she’ll be presenting this research at the Ecological Society of America’s (ESA) Annual Meeting in Pittsburg, PA.

Before that meeting, Missik is spending the rest of her summer working with Dr. Stuart Campbell with the Department of Energy’s Spallation Neutron Source at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)–the world’s most powerful pulsed spallation neutron source. Missik is benefiting from access to world-renowned facilities and experts as she interns at ORNL. She is the first Gatton Academy student to perform research directly with the ORNL.

Justine recently took a break from her research work with the ORNL to answer some questions on her research experience.

1. Tell us a little about the project or program in which you are participating this summer that the Research Internship Grant is funding.

This summer I am working at the Spallation Neutron Source at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. I am working on developing a user interface for numerical analysis code on protein dynamics. I will then use this to analyze some data.

2. What is the part of the summer experience you are enjoying most?

I have really enjoyed being at Oak Ridge and meeting people who work there. It has been a great opportunity to be able to work at world-class laboratory! I have also really enjoyed working on a project that I know will be useful to the scientists there.

3. How is this different from the way you think most high school students spend their summers?

Most high school students don’t usually have the kind of opportunities for summer research that the Academy provides, so they aren’t usually involved in research projects. The Academy has provided me with the unique opportunity to work at Oak Ridge, which I would not have been able to do otherwise.

4. Will you be using this research experience as a launching point for any particular applications, competitions, or scholarships?

I’m not currently planning on using this project to enter any competitions, but I am sure the skills and experience I will gain will greatly benefit me.

5. How does this research experience or internship fit into your educational and professional goals?

Though I’m not quite sure yet about what particular field I will want to work in, I know that I want to go into science. I also know that I enjoy working with computers, and this is useful in a variety of different fields. I also plan on continuing to do research. The experience I will gain this summer will help me with all of these things.

6. What are you looking forward to the most about your second year at the Academy?

In my second year at the academy, I am looking forward to being able to take more higher-level classes, such as Computer Science II and Discrete Math. I am also looking forward to continuing my research project from last year.

By Corey Alderdice

Summer 5Q: Derek Fox Runs the Numbers on Energy Consumption

July 26, 2010 | News, People, Research, Students, Summer | No Comments

A big opportunity came along for Derek Fox (Campbell, ’11) this summer.

Working with Dr. Jeffrey Ward at Northern Kentucky University’s Applied Science and Technology Center in Fort Thomas, KY, the opportunity arose for Fox to join a research project that is looking for ways to optimize energy usage through the Integral Analytics company’s Demand Response Pricer project. Fox is applying math and computer science techniques to contribute possible solutions to a part of a growing public discussion on energy consumption. An outline of the project that Fox is contributing to is available online at http://www.integralanalytics.com/drpricer.php.

Fox is the recipient of one of eleven Research Internship Grants that the Gatton Academy awarded this summer. These grants fund students between their junior and senior years to perform summer research projects.

Fox recently took the time to update us on how his summer experience is going by answering a few questions and sending in a photo:

1. Tell us a little about the project or program in which you are participating this summer that the Research Internship Grant is funding.

This summer I am conducting research with Dr. Jeff Ward, focusing on the optimization of algorithmic searches in a real-world scenario concerning Integral Analytics Demand Response Pricing systems. This research will assist utility companies in making faster, smarter decisions for the new-coming Demand Response Programs, such as Smart Grids.

2. What is the part of the summer experience you are enjoying most?

The most enjoyable part of my summer experience is having the opportunity to examine some of the most intricate algorithms, which most students don’t experience until they are approaching a graduate program. I wake up every day knowing that the research I am conducting will make an impact on the future of utility companies.

3. How is this different from the way you think most high school students spend their summers?

During the summer, most high school students spend their time working at a local fast food restaurant or hanging out with friends. They are living for the day, not looking ahead to the future. Research gives me the experience I will need to help obtain a respectable job and make my college application stand out.

4. Will you be using this research experience as a launching point for any particular applications, competitions, or scholarships?

I will be using my research experience to enter competitions such as the Siemens Competition as well as the Intel Science Talent Search. I also plan on submitting my research experience when applying for the Science, Mathematics and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship.

5. How does this research experience or internship fit into your educational and professional goals?

I plan on Majoring, Mastering, and acquiring my Ph. D. in Computer Science. My dream job is to become a professor of computer science, where I can conduct research of my own. This experience allows me to look into the future examining the types of things I will be doing. This opportunity has allowed me to examine some of the most intricate algorithms, which most students wouldn’t have even encountered, let alone worked with, until they were nearing their graduate program. This opportunity has allowed me to be a step ahead of the competition in completing my goals.

6. What are you looking forward to the most about your second year at the Academy?

The most exciting thing about returning to the Academy is hard to say. I look forward to enhancing my algorithmic skill in Computer Science III, where most of the course will be over discrete logic. I have also planned with my roommate and suite-mates to have a Computer Science suite, as we are all fairly competent programmers. I definitely look forward to working on out-of-the-classroom projects in order to enhance our experience as a team.

By Corey Alderdice

Summer 5Q: Ben Howard Studies Mathematical Modeling at WKU

July 21, 2010 | 5Q, News, People, Research, Students, WKU | No Comments

While most Gatton Academy students are spending time away from WKU’s campus this summer, Benjamin Howard (Rowan, ‘11) is still walking up the Hill each morning.

As a rising high school senior, Howard is performing mathematical and biological modeling research with Dr. Richard Schugart of WKU’s Department of Mathematics and Computer Science.

Howard was one of eleven students from the Gatton Academy’s Class of 2011 who received a Research Internship Grant from the Academy for this summer. The Research Internship Grants are available to Gatton Academy students in the summer between their junior and senior years to support students during summer research experiences.

Howard’s research builds upon a mathematical model that Dr. Schugart formulated. Ben is examining five differential equations that are a part of Schugart’s model and is analyzing the sub-model by conducting a steady-state analysis on it, estimating parameters within it, and using Mathematica to conduct simulations of the model.

Howard recently paused for a few minutes to answer questions about his summer research is going.

1. Tell us a little about the project or program in which you are participating this summer that the Research Internship Grant is funding.

I am helping Dr. Schugart with a wound healing project. We are using mathematical models (equations) in order to try and predict if a wound will heal completely, heal partially, or not heal at all. Some of the different variables that we are using in our models are bacteria, macrophages, neutrophils, and oxygen.

2. What is the part of the summer experience you are enjoying most?

The part that I am enjoying the most is actually getting to participate in a real life application of mathematics.

3. How is this different from the way you think most high school students spend their summers?

Most of my friends are spending their summer hanging out with each other, practicing whatever extra-curricular they like the most, working a job at a fast food restaurant, or doing GSP. While all of this is perfectly fine, none of it compares to being on your own for 8 or 9 weeks waking up every morning knowing that your task that day is performing mathematics. I don’t mean 50 algebra problems or 10 calc

problems. I mean research that could potentially benefit people’s lives.

4. Will you be using this research experience as a launching point for any particular applications, competitions, or scholarships?

I’m planning on presenting at a math and biology seminar in Tennessee in the fall, applying for the Siemens competition, and possibly presenting at WKU in the spring.

5. How does this research experience or internship fit into your educational and professional goals?

I am planning on going into the medical field in the future. Since this research is dealing with wound healing it could benefit me when I apply to medical school in a few years.

6. What are you looking forward to the most about your second year at the Academy?

I am looking forward to spending time with my friends. The bonds made at the Academy truly are incredible. I am also looking forward to taking more sciences and getting away from the math a little. While I do like math, science is my favorite subject. I can’t wait to see what the upper level sciences have to offer.

By Corey Alderdice

Summer 5Q: Tina Stottman Studies Brain Trauma at UK Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center

June 8, 2010 | 5Q, People, Research, Students, Summer | No Comments

This summer, rising Gatton Academy senior Tina Stottman (’11, Bullitt County) is spending ten weeks exploring a research interest. Working full time at the University of Kentucky’s Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center with Dr. Kathryn Saatman, Stottman is studying experimental models of traumatic brain injury using rodent models of brain trauma to investigate cellular mechanisms of damage to neurons in the brain and evaluating treatments aimed at lessening cell damage.

Stottman received a Gatton Academy Research Internship Grant, which is a grant available to Gatton Academy students in the summer between their junior and senior years to support students during research experiences.

Stottman learned about the opportunity at the Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center from 2010 Gatton Academy graduate Emily Hall, who spent the summer of 2009 working in Dr. Saatman’s lab. Emily too will return to Dr. Saatman’s lab this summer along with Justin Jatczak, also a recent graduate from the Gatton Academy’s class of 2010. The three Gatton Academy students will work alongside University of Kentucky scientists and researchers for the summer, gaining valuable laboratory and research skills.

Tina recently took a break from her research to answer some questions about how her summer experience was going so far.

1. Tell us a little about the project or program in which you are participating this summer that the Research Internship Grant is funding.

This summer I’ve been working in the Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Lab. Our lab focuses on different aspects of brain cell death and axonal damage caused by traumatic injuries. We perform surgeries on mice in order to learn about what occurs in the brain after head trauma. So far, my tasks have included things such as cutting and mounting brain tissue, staining tissue to detect brain cell degeneration, and learning about the procedures performed on the mice.

2. What is the part of the summer experience you are enjoying most?

I’ve really enjoyed working in a lab setting. This past year, I only had one course that required a lab, so at first I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to keep up with everyone during research. Luckily, the people that I work with have been great at explaining different techniques and answering all of my questions. I’m doing something that I’ve never done before, so every day is a chance to learn something new! Now that I’ve been here for almost two weeks, I’ve actually come to love working on research in the lab, and the work day always seems to fly by.

3. How is this different from the way you think most high school students spend their summers?

Whenever I was at my home high school, summer was a time for me to just sit back and relax. For the most part, I can’t say that I did anything productive with my break. This summer, the situation is completely different. Every day, I get to spend time researching what I’m most passionate about. I’m walking away from this with an experience that will make me a competitive college applicant. Living on my own in Lexington has also helped me prepare myself for life after graduation, and as an added bonus, the people that I work with are amazing! How many high school students can say that they spent their summer getting paid to do what they love every single day?

4. Will you be using this research experience as a launching point for any particular applications, competitions, or scholarships?

Currently, I’m still looking for competitions and scholarships to enter with my research. I’ve had a few setbacks because I’m working with live vertebrae. I’m going to continue my search, and hopefully I’ll find some great competitions to enter this fall!

5. How does this research experience or internship fit into your educational and professional goals?

I haven’t chosen a specific career or major yet, so this research experience has given me a lot of insight into the physiology and neurosurgery field. Working in the lab will give me a head start for future research experiences during and after college. It will also look great on my college applications. Right now, I’m just trying to find a specific area to focus on, and this research experience is definitely leading me in the right direction.

6. What are you looking forward to the most about your second year at the Academy?

More than anything, I’m looking forward to meeting all of the new juniors. Last year, as I’m sure it is every year, we all formed a little family. I was sad to see the class of 2010 leave us, but I know that we’ll always share the bonds that we’ve made over the past year. I can’t wait to see what this new group of students will bring to the Academy. I met quite a few of them on interview day, and they all seem to be such amazing people with a wide variety of personalities and interests. I know that this new addition to our family will make it another great year to remember!

By Corey Alderdice

5Q: Whitney Antle Studies in Argentina with CCIS

August 12, 2009 | 5Q, International, News | No Comments

You know the drill as our “Five Questions” series keeps rolling. In this visit, we chat with Whitney Antle, a Class of 2010 student from Hardin County. Like several Academy students this summer, Whitney spent some time abroad. Though the Gatton Academy’s programmatic emphasis is on math and science, we strongly support the development of students’ passions in language, the arts, and culture. There are few better ways to accomplish this development than study abroad.

1. Tell us a little about the project or program in which you participated.

From mid-June to mid-July, I studied abroad through CCIS in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I lived with a host family that did not speak any English. I attended La Universidad de Belgrano, where I studied in an intensive language program for five hours every day. During my spare time, I explored the city, made new friends, and practiced speaking with my host family. I was able to live the life of los porteños, the people of Buenos Aires, whose language and culture are very different from my own.

2. What is the part of the summer experience did you enjoy the most?

In all honesty, I loved every bit of it! But, I would say the best part was learning to speak Spanish with greater fluency. I was able to practice not only in my “No Inglés” Spanish class, but also just by talking to my friends and host family. I loved sitting down with Cheche, my host abuelo, and listen to him talk about his family’s history. The most rewarding thing was being able to walk down the street or ride on the Subte and understand the people around me. (Tango class was pretty great, too!)

3. How is this different from the way you think most high school students spend their summers?

During my time abroad, I lived with a family I didn’t know, in a country whose language I was still trying to learn. Unlike most high school students abroad, I was not on vacation or on a school trip; I went to school every day, and I didn’t know anyone. It was truly one of the most challenging things I have ever done because I was totally responsible for myself. The degree of independence was so much greater than any I have ever had before. It was difficult at times, but so worth it simply because of the confidence I have gained.

4. How does this research experience or internship fit into your educational and professional goals?

Even though my class was not directly involved with math and science, I can use what I have learned in almost any profession. We have to be able to communicate in anything we do. Language skills are becoming more important every day. Now I can learn from people that I otherwise would not be able to understand, and they can understand me, too.

5. What are you looking forward to the most about your second year at the Academy?

I am looking forward to spending time with my friends and getting to know the new juniors. I also can’t wait to start my new classes!

By Corey Alderdice

Recent News

Tag Archive : Summer