The science research program is first introduced to students in seventh grade and applications are open for students throughout their high school career. It is a learning opportunity for students to learn about science and valuable life skills applicable to the program.
The program is offered to students who enjoy and excel in science. It allows students to get the opportunity to create their own projects based on different scientific topics that interest them.
“I think science research is beneficial as it allows students to do what they love and what they want to pursue in the future,” seventh grader Leighton Roliz said.
Students applying to the science research program must present exemplary grades, along with a series of criteria to exhibit their skills. Interviews are held a week before the class starts, allowing applicants to have time to prepare for it. Additionally, students must write an essay, showcasing their eligibility and qualifications for the program.
“The hardest part of the application process for me was definitely the interview. I was really nervous but happy when it was over,” seventh grader Vraj Shah said.
This year, nearly fifty seventh graders sought acceptance to the program, exceeding the average pool of around 30-40 students applying. Only fifteen students are selected to partake in the program.
“For all grades, there is a cap of 15 students per grade,” science research teacher Ms. Stone said. “The number of new students that can be accepted after 8th grade will depend on if students drop from the program. So if we have 15 students in a grade level and no one drops then there are usually no additional students taken.”
The rise in applicants willing to partake in the selection process has increased the pressure on both the students and science research teachers. Since the amount of competition has increased, so has the baseline for the requirements to get in.
“The number of applicants increasing only affects the workload when we are holding our interviews,” science research teacher Mr. Denara said. “It just means we must dedicate more time to allocate all students the proper time for a strong interview. It also means we have more applicants, which means more students to learn their skills, personality and understanding of science so we can make the very difficult decision on who is accepted into the program.”
“Typically, we have roughly 30-40 7th graders apply, but this year there was greater interest and many students were strong academically so it made the selection process more difficult,” Ms. Stone said.
The science research program has seen exponential growth during the 2024 application season, representative of the rise of students becoming passionate about the STEM field and the experiments and projects that come with the program.
