DEVELOPING HIGH SCHOOL GEOSCIENTISTS THROUGH SUMMER INTERNSHIPS
The high school interns work for 15-20 hours per week under the supervision of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. The supervisors come to value the interns for a few reasons: not only are they getting some extra help with their research, but they are getting teaching experience in an informal but powerful way and supervising the interns' work over the summer. Another key part of the internship is bringing all of the interns together regularly. Whether it is for career talks, lab tours or field trips interns who may feel like they are the only high school student who loves science and math find kindred spirits in the group. Another important reason for weekly gatherings is to introduce the interns to the broad field of Earth sciences and the different approaches and paths that scientists take. The summer ends with a culminating event where interns make short informal presentations about their research which gives them an opportunity to articulate the big questions they have been helping to answer. Some interns are also invited to present a poster in a session for high school students at the Fall AGU meeting. These experiences of working in the laboratory and communicating about the research are part of the world of sciences that are absent for most youth.
The high school internships foster good will between Stanford and the local communities, help develop a more Earth and environmentally knowledgeable public and may have a long-term affect on diversifying the geosciences by exposing more young people to these fields.