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| Home › About Intel › Education Home › K-12 Education › Science and Math › Intel STS › |
Over the years, a number of STS finalists first participated in a program called Research Science Institute (RSI). Sponsored by the Center for Excellence in Education (CEE) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the six-week program gives promising high school students in science, mathematics, and technology the opportunity to study with some of the county's most accomplished scientists and professors, and to conduct rigorous scientific research.
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Yi Sun, Kimberly Scott, Genevieve Williams, Justin Solomon, and Sukrit Ranjan(left to right), RSI participants, pose for a picture during the 2006 Intel STS competition. |
Under the guidance of mentors from top New England institutions, RSI students embark on research projects, conduct experiments in state-of-the-art labs, and have the opportunity to rub elbows with professionals in the scientific community. "They meet people who are movers and shakers in science and technology," says Maite Ballestero, Vice President of Programs for CEE. "This can include Nobel Laureates in chemistry or biology or physics. That's a 'wow' moment for a 16- or 17-year-old, not only to get to eat dinner with that person, but to have the opportunity to ask anything they want."
"The RSI program gave me the opportunity to develop both specific and generalized scientific research skills within a real laboratory environment," says Justin Solomon, a student at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Oakton, Virginia, and a 2005 RSI participant. "The program gave me the unique chance to continue my work under the oversight of experienced faculty and graduate students at MIT." Solomon says that the mentoring and support he received over the summer were invaluable to the quality of his research. Solomon's project, involving the development of a three-dimensional face recognition system from video, landed the high school senior a spot as a finalist in the 2006 STS competition.
"The program opens doors for bright young individuals who don't often get this type of opportunity," says Ballestero. "We want to support those that have both interest and ability in science and technology. We want to reach them while they are young and enthusiastic. We want to give them the chance to conduct real laboratory research, not just shuffle papers or wash bottles for someone else."
It's no wonder that RSI alumni have consistently been among the top contenders at national pre-collegiate science competitions. Since 1984, RSI alumni have included 341 STS semifinalists. Of these, 96 have been finalists, 40 have made it into the top ten, and six have garnered the first-place prize. This year, five of the 40 2006 Intel STS finalists participated in RSI over the summer, and two earned top-ten honors.
Unlike any other program of its kind in the United States, this experience is offered free to all participants.
For more information on RSI, visit www.cee.org*.
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