After a summer of research and hard work, the students in LSC's Partners in Science have successfully completed the 31st Annual Research Symposium. Congratulations to these brilliant young minds!

LSC's Partners in Science program is a 2-month summer research program where rising high school juniors and seniors are paired with a research mentor within their field of interest. The annual research symposium is a major event held at the Science Center where the students present the projects they had been working on all summer.

This year, we placed students at Rutgers University, Columbia University, New Jersey City University, Stevens Institute of Technology, Saint Peter’s University, Montclair State University, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Princeton University, Manhattan Community College, and Union City High School.

In total, this summer's program had 33 students, 55 mentors, and 29 projects. As always, the research projects were varied and fascinating. One project involved using virtual reality to help teach and collect scientific data, while another project involved testing the effects of Ozone on the oils in our skin.

When speaking about what he learned from the program, Montgomery High School student Jason Wu said that it helps to make friends in the lab.

"A lot of students mistake professors and graduate students as serious and stern people who care nothing about your personal lives and only focus on their work," Wu said. "Graduate students and professors are people too! It's best to get to know everyone inside and outside the lab so that work doesn't seem overly serious, but more viewed as a collaborative effort."

Ma’ayanot Yeshiva High School student Atara Neugroschl said she was initially hesitant about signing up for the program due to the long commute to her lab.

"I decided to push myself to travel the two-hour commute and try a new branch of science, and I am thrilled that I did," Neugroschl said. "This program has not only been an incredible way to spend my summer, but it has also helped me decide what career to pursue."

Thanks to all the students and mentors who participated this summer! After 31 years, the Partners in Science program is still going strong and enhancing every year. If you are an alumnus of the program or would be interested in sponsoring students, please contact Deepa Shah, Senior Coordinator of Specialized STEM Programs at dshah@lsc.org.