Clair G. Wood Thayer Academy Braintree, Massachusetts
A Summer Science Program for High School Students
Numerous articles have appeared in this and other journals describing summer chemistry programs for secondary students. In most cases these programs are confined to one campus and a relatively few number of instructors. The program described here differs in both of these respects, for it is affiliated with a great number of industries and educational institutions. A summer science program for high ability high school juniors is now in its fifth year a t Tbayer Academy under t,he sponsorship of Tufts University' and financed by the YSF. The over-all objectives of this program, as stated in the Thayer Academy Annual Report for Advance Studies in Science, is to provide talented secondary students with an opportunity to gain a better nnderstanding of the scientist's and engineer's roles in today's technological society, to benefit from close contact with many dihnguished scientists in all fields of endeavor, and to gain the insight needed to plan their own careers. The immediate specific aims are to become familiar with the tools of research, to learn basic laboratory techniques, to advance in laboratory disciplines, to organize, prepare, and develop a technical report, and to pursue advance studies in interest fields. Each spring, bulletin board notices are sent to secondary schools in the area asking any interested junior to write the director of the program for application papers. This year about 150 sets of applications were sent out. These applications consist of teacher recommendations, grades for the three completed high school years, a letter stating why they wish to be in the program, and factual information as address, telephone number, means of transportation, etc. On April 7, the applicants brought this material to Thayer where a quick score IQ test was administered to them and the results of these tests were added to their applications. On the ljasis of this about one hundred were chosen to return for personal interviews with a board consisting of the director and various members of the program staff. The interview is designed to bring out previous interest in science, to find out how the applicant conducts himself, and to answer any questions. Fifty applicants were thus chosen to participate on the basis of grades, personality, and evidence of a genuine interest in learning more about science. Of these, forty-seven stayed through the duration of the program. 1 Sponsored by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences until 1962 and receiving partial support from the Fund for the Advancement of Education.
Formal of the Program The selected participants are divided into three categories, chemistry, biology, or physics depending upon past experiences and interests. I n any category the format of the program remains the same. The program lasts for ten weeks and is divided into three sections, two weeks of intensive lecture and laboratory work both a t Thayer and Tufts, eight weeks of individual research a t various industries and universities, and a series of evening lectures followed by question and answer periods. Each morning, for the first two weeks, the chemistry participants met a t Thayer for lectures given by college professors recruited mainly from the Tufts University faculty. The topics were the lecturers' choices and were intended to give the student an over-all picture of the chemical field rather than specialized knowledge in any one part of it. Some of the topics included were the structure of the atom, the nature of chemical bonds, and biochemistry. For the first week the afternoon laboratory sessions were held a t the Tufts campus where the students were given instruction in the area of sanitation chemistry. This included tests for usable oxygen and fluorides in the water, pH of water, and various means for the detection of microorganisms. The laboratory sessions were held a t Tbayer the second week, and each student was given an individual project to work on. I n all cases the time available was not sufficient to complete the entire project, however it gave the student a feeling for the sort. of new techniques he would encounter during his eight weeks of work in industrial or university labs. A partial list of the projects carried out includes: 1. Photohydrolysis of munochloraaeetic acid. 2. Separation of iron and nickel by column chromatography. 3. Preparation of triphenylcarbinol. 4. Extraction of caffeine from tea. 5. Detection of vanous cations by colorimetry.
Eight Weelc Period. This year the forty-seven participants were located in five universities, one hospital, and thirteen industries in the Boston area. At each location the student was given a research project to do under the guidance of the laboratory director. Normally he received about one to two hours of instruction daily from the director or one of the workers in the lahoratory. The educational background of all but a few of these supervisors is on the PhD level. The type of project was entirely up to the sponsoring lab and usually is connected with the scientists own research. The student worked the same hours as the sponsoring laboratory and his only contact during this period with Volume 39, Number 12, December 1962
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the rest of the program mas the dinner and lecture on Wednesday nights and two or three visits from program staff members a t the laboratory. At the end of this eight week period the student was required to write a paper, using somewhat the same outline as a college thesis, describing his work for this period. This paper was presented on the closing day to the rest of the chemistry section and is kept on file at Thayer Academy. Evening Lectur~s. Three times a week during the first t,wo weeks and once a week thereafter, a one hour lecture was given in the evening by some recognized authority in his field. There was no effort to tie these lectures together, for the purpose is to expose the student to as many facets of science as possible. A question and answer period followed each lecture. Evaluation of the Program
In contrast to many institutes of this type a systematic study and evaluationZhas beenmadeof the Thayer program. This study was made to develop a testing instrument useful over short periods of time but also contains much follow-up information on the effectsof the program on the participants. As with any experimental program there are still some problems to be ironed out but these are comparatively minor. The chief criticism of the program is economic, for the participant receives no stipend and has to provide his own means of transportation to
' COOLEY,W , A N D BASSETT,R , "Evaluation and Follow-up Study of a Summer Science and Mathematios Program for Talented High School Students," Ht~rvardUniversity School of Education, 1960.
648 / Journal of Chemical Education
Thayer and his laboratory assignment. This means that some other applicants have to be eliminated because of lack of transportation or because they need a paying summer job. The other major comment voiced is the need for more communication with the participant and his teachers after he leaves the program. The program has access to almost every major industrial and university laboratory in the area. This makes possible a variety of assignments that cannot be matched by a program working out of a single base. I n the same vein the caliber of the faculty, sponsors, and lecturers is excellent. The test of any program should be the effect on the student participating. Talks with laboratory supervisors bring many favorable comments on the students' willingness to work and ability to grasp quite advanced techniques readily. A few quotes-from the Harvard report-on the students' attitude by various scientists may emphasize this very well. "It would not be an exaggeration to say that his intensity and enthusiasm have made the summer somewhat more enjoyable for most of those associated with him. "We accomplished some valusble tests that otherwise would have gone undone for lack of time. The profession as a whole gains because these students undoubtedly have a better conception of what they may or may not be expected to do ns professional persons in the engineering or scientific field. Thus, the program would tend to reduce the number of misfits."
In conclusion it is felt that the program has accomplished what it proposed to do and that, in areas c here the facilities are available, the Thayer Academy type of program can be invaluable in acquainting young people with science and in giving them the impetus and knowledge needed to plan their futures in this direction.
