Tomorrow’s scientists trained at Argonne today

Argonne is committed to furthering research in the national interest in the future as well as the present. And part of this commitment to the future involves training scientists to do tomorrow’s important research. The laboratory operates the largest educational program in the Department of Energy system. Participants range from middle school students to teachers to postdoctoral researchers.

Each year hundreds of undergraduate students from around the country participate in educational activities at Argonne. At the 11th annual Symposium for Undergraduates in Science, Engineering and Mathematics, for example, nearly 200 students from midwestern universities presented scientific papers on more than 100 topics.

Through internship programs, undergraduates also have the opportunity to work side by side with Argonne researchers in areas ranging from biology to computer science, and physics to the environmental sciences. In fiscal year 2001, 375 undergraduate interns received hands-on experience at the lab.

Another program at the lab focuses on community college students. "At least 50 percent of students in the U.S. attending college attend a community college," said Harold Myron, director of the Division of Educational Programs. "It’s important to reach out to this group."

The program is in its third year and is targeted at schools in the Midwest including the St. Louis, Houston and Chicago metropolitan areas. Between 20 and 30 students per year participate in internships in areas such as biotechnology and computer science.

"The community colleges internship program has vastly expanded my horizons," said student Manuel Almazan. "I have been exposed to cutting-edge technology and to instruments I never expected to operate, like a scanning electron microscope."

Argonne also offers many opportunities for graduate students. For example, the laboratory hosts the National Neutron and X-Ray Scattering School for Graduate Students. The goal of the school is to educate graduate students attending U.S. universities on the use of major neutron and X-ray facilities.

The school was first held at Argonne in 1999. In the summer of 2000, 60 graduate students from 24 states attended the intense two-week program where they participated in hands-on experiments at world-class research facilities, including the Advanced Photon Source and the Intense Pulsed Neutron Source.

The lab’s programs, however, don’t focus only on college and university students. In 2001, a new pilot program was started to encourage high-school students — especially girls and minorities — to consider science or engineering as a career choice. The program, called Saturday Science at Argonne, featured several of Argonne’s women scientists. Researchers led interactive programs focusing on scientific frontiers, their research topics and their role in solving real-world problems. Along with the Division of Educational Programs, the program was sponsored by Argonne’s Women in Science and Technology program.

The lab also has an internship program for high school graduates to participate in the summer before they start college. Approximately 30 students from the Chicago area participate in the eight-week summer program. "Many of these students come back and do college internships," said Myron.

Annual events such as the Rube Goldberg contest educate students through fun and competitive programs that also teach science and engineering skills. The annual Science Careers in Search of Women Conference introduces high school girls to the world of science opportunities.

Educational programs on the World Wide Web reach out to students of all ages. For example, the lab’s free online service called Newton provides a place for students to practice telecommunications, retrieve information on a wide variety of subjects and contact research scientists from all over the world. For teachers, it provides a variety of discussion areas, ideas for curriculum development and Internet service. Newton receives 1 million hits each month.

One of Newton’s most popular features is "Ask a Scientist," where teachers and students can pose questions to scientists and engineers on subjects including astronomy, biology, chemistry and physics. Answers are received via e-mail. The results are posted to the "Ask a Scientist" archives, which currently contain 12,000 questions and answers.

The Web site has been recognized by the Department of Energy’s web site, KidzZone, and has been selected as one of the best educational resources by Lightspan’s StudyWeb.

Besides educating students, the laboratory helps educators sharpen their teaching skills. Argonne’s hands-on educational workshops for science teachers feature new technologies, Global Positioning Systems and environmental chemistry. The lab also has a 10-week summer program aimed at college students who aspire to be science teachers.

Through on-site and off-site programs as well as Web-based services, Argonne’s educational programs reach hundreds of thousands of students and teachers around the country every year.

For more information please contact Donna Jones Pelkie