STEM

San Diego Supercomputer Center's High School Mentor Program Enters Second Year

• By Leila Meyer
• 06/29/16

The San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) has ended the first year of its Mentor Assistance Program (MAP) and is preparing to launch the second year.

The program, which is a collaboration between the SDSC at the University of California San Diego and the UC San Diego Division of Health Sciences, is designed to provide high school students with access to experts in their field of interest in order to help them prepare for their future careers. "MAP is focused on creating mentoring relationships that will enhance students' desire to learn, teach, and conduct research in a variety of fields, including science, technology, engineering and mathematics," stated a news release from the university. The program aims to provide a rewarding experience for high school students while providing flexibility for mentors, who typically have very busy schedules.

The first year of the program ran from November 2015 through May 2016. During that time, 77 students from 33 high schools in San Diego County worked with 34 mentors from 24 UC San Diego departments, assisting them on actual research projects. The program concluded with a symposium, where 65 of the students in the program presented 48 projects to an audience of nearly 300 school district administrators, principals, teacher and family members.

The organizers are now preparing to launch the second year of the program, which will run from November 2016 to May 2017. The program is already accepting applications from mentors. Students in grade 11 and 12 can apply from September 1 to 30. A select number of applicants will be chosen for the program. In the first year, the program received 225 applications and accepted 77 students.

Further information about the Mentor Assistance Program can be found on SDSC's site.