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STEM Career Program to Place High Schoolers with Cancer Researchers

Stand Up To Cancer has partnered with PBS LearningMedia to launch an award program aimed at getting secondary students interested in careers in cancer research.

The program, the Emperor Science Award, now in its second year, will award 100 high school students with mentoring opportunities that will include placement with a "university-level research scientist on a rewarding multi-week cancer research project." Winners will also receive a Google Chromebook and will be eligible for a stipend of up to $1,500 to cover expenses.

Winners will be selected based on a 750-word essay that addresses the following prompt: "Cancer has been referred to as 'The Emperor of All Maladies' and millions of people around the world are looking for a cure. In America, more than 1,600 people die each day. Tell us why scientific research is so important in helping to find a cure for cancer. And if you could be a scientific researcher, what would you study and why?"

Criteria for selection include "sincerity, creativity, clarity and persuasiveness." The program is open to 10th and 11th graders residing in the United States.

Stand Up To Cancer is a program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation. The Emperor Science Award is also supported financially by Genentech, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company and Novartis. The awards are being administered by PBS LearningMedia.

More than 1,200 entries were received in the inaugural year of the program. Entries for the 2017 program are being accepted through March 17. (A third competition is also planned for next year.) Complete entry details can be found at emperorscienceaward.com.

About the Author

David Nagel is the former editorial director of 1105 Media's Education Group and editor-in-chief of THE Journal, STEAM Universe, and Spaces4Learning. A 30-year publishing veteran, Nagel has led or contributed to dozens of technology, art, marketing, media, and business publications.

He can be reached at [email protected]. You can also connect with him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidrnagel/ .


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