Posted: Jun 6th, 2012 New program puts high school students in role of scientists ( Nanowerk News ) In commencement speeches across the country, graduates have ,been warned to expect rocky times breaking into the workforce.Unemployment hovers between 8 and 9 percent. Competition is tough. Unless you studied science or engineering. Those jobs have a 2percent unemployment rate, which has led some Fortune 500 companiesto complain about offices they can't fill. So it's no surprise that when the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE)Argonne National Laboratory decided to give high school students achance to test-drive a science career, it found students, parentsand school officials from Naperville, Ill. eager to hop on board.Teachers received training in the workings of the Advanced Photon Source (APS), the brightest high-energy X-ray machine in the WesternHemisphere, and the Electron Miscroscopy Center (EMC). Students from Naperville's two high schools then competedfor slots on four research teams that used X-ray beams to decipherwhat matter is made of, how it's built and how it reacts. "This is a quantum leap from what they have done before," saidNaperville North High School science teacher Beverly George. "Wedon't have the material to do an independent study program beyondwhat is available in a high school classroom. This introduces themto much more sophisticated equipment and a window on what they cando with it. It has whetted their appetites for what careers are outthere." APS Users Meeting poster session More than 5,000 researchers from throughout the world use the APSand EMC annually to target society's greatest challenges: how tomake better pharmaceuticals, sustainable fuels and high-performancematerials. These challenges will feed scientific jobs for decadesto come. "I think there is a huge push in our district from the communityfor STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education,"said Tricia Noblett, a teacher and science club advisor at NeuquaValley High School. "I think they are seizing on what has been outthere in the media that STEM fields are where the jobs are and thatscience careers can be interesting." Students drew on experiences in their lives to choose researchtopics and explained their results to scientists at the annualmeeting held in May at Argonne for users of the APS, EMC and Center for Nanoscale Materials (CNM). "The possibilities of science are limitless," said high schoolsenior Avinash Prakash. "Science is continually growing. Throughresearch we are part of a continuing process." Inspired by the recent cleanup of a contaminated portion of thewest branch of the DuPage River near their school, one group ofstudents studied how to increase the efficiency of water filtrationsystems. Another group worked with the Naperville wastewater facility toevaluate how corrosion affects the lifespan of water pipes. And another group looked at how to improve the efficiency ofgraphene, a nanomaterial that may hold the key to building fastersemiconductors for smart phones and the next-generation of researchtools. "We have realized how interesting it would be to go into a researchcareer," said student Armita Manafzadeh. "I'm sad I'm a senior. Iwant to do it again." Argonne hopes to expand the program to include more students nextyear. "Kids need to be inspired before they get out of high school," saidLouis Harnisch, education program coordinator for theCommunications, Education and Public Affairs Division at Argonne."They need to be given opportunities before they get to college sothere is a more seamless transition, and they develop theconfidence that they can do research. And, of course, we want toattract them to work here someday". We are high quality suppliers, our products such as Moon Cake Machine Manufacturer , Rusk Making Machine for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits Meat Ball Forming Machine.
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