San Diego Supercomputer Center's High School Mentor Program Enters Second Year
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.
About the Author
Leila Meyer is a technology writer based in British Columbia. She can be reached at [email protected].