SUMMER SCIENCE ADVENTURES

Sonoma County Office of Education Superintendent Carl Wong celebrated a new partnership with SSU recently as School of Science and Technology faculty met their high school students to work on summer research projects. (Photo by Shahram Marivani)

Unique Program Offers High School Students A Chance to Join Faculty for Summer Science Adventures

Over the summer break, Sonoma State professors will work with high school juniors on research projects as part of the newly created Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Program, a strategic partnership with the Sonoma County office of Education aimed at preparing more students for careers in the science and technology sectors.

Under the STEM Program, students interested in science, mathematics, technology, and/or pre-engineering will have the opportunity to get hands-on experience and work in sophisticated labs with professors on their research.

Upon completion of the internship, each participating student will receive a $1,000 stipend ($10,000 total paid by SCOE) and will be invited to enroll in related courses at Sonoma State University during their senior year of high school. 

Professor Derek Girman will work with Trevor Jordan (Windsor High School) locating, catching, and collecting genetic samples from California Giant salamanders in Sonoma, Mendocino, Marin, and Santa Cruz Counties, as well as working in the lab extracting DNA from collected specimens.

Rebecca Krauthamer (Maria Carrillo High School) will study under Professor Dan Crocker on wild northern elephant seals and assist in field deployments and recoveries of satellite tracking tags and diving behavior recorders on elephant seals as part of The Tagging of Pacific Pelagics Project.

Jennifer Whiles Lillig and Yiren Lu (Maria Carrillo High School) will perform biochemical experiments for use in understanding the key features of Listeria
monocytogenes molecules and their target membranes. This work can aid in the development of these molecules as both potent and safe drugs and food preservatives for fighting and preventing human diseases.

Under the supervision of Steve Farmer, Alek Taylor (Healdsburg High School) will focus on isolating and investigating the molecule responsible for the wild mushroom Naematoloma Fasciculare’s fluorescent properties.

Professor Bala Ravikumar will work with Neema Rahimi (Analy High School) on two projects. In the first project, they will develop software that is able to store a user’s handwriting when entered on a pad, and in the second, they will design and implement a computer game that uses a pen-interface.

Student Victoria Rose (Roseland High School) will focus on the construction and programming of a two-motor robot that is able to navigate through a maze using a microcontroller as the robot’s brain with Professor Jingxian Wu.

Recently mathematicians have started investigating the distinguishing chromatic number of a graph, and Yuji Matsumoto (Analy High School) will work with Dr. Cora Neal to determine which types of graphs have large distinguishing chromatic numbers by looking at a few small graphs that need lots of colors.

Professor Jeremy Qualls will have Paul Calley (Analy High School) help build new electronic and magnetic sensors to be used in measurements in extreme magnetic fields (~340,000 stronger than the Earth's field) as well as at temperatures close to absolute zero. 

A new astronomical observatory is being developed at the Galbreath Wildland Preserves, and Denna Gelosi (Analy High School) will have the opportunity to work with ProfessorScott Severson. The student will learn about the latest in astronomical research and help in the development of an environmentally friendly, solar-powered telescope.

Working with Professor Hongtao Shi, Rowan Shulz (Analy High School) will use synthetic chemistry to fabricate nanometer scaled honeycomb-like arrays by using self-assembly of aluminum oxide and learn how to use the state-of-the-art facilities at SSU to measure these samples to disclose their physical properties.