The NCAR/UCAR pre-college internship program: Challenges and lessons learned

Recent studies have suggested that the most ideal time to influence a student's choice on their future career was while they were in high school, before they decide on a college or major. Research suggests that the combination of mentoring and authentic research experience helps motivate and prepare students to pursue studies in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematical (STEM) fields. To address this, and based on recommendations from Latino leaders of the Denver Metro Area, the Pre-College Internship Program at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) was developed in 2009 to give high school students the opportunity to work with a scientist or engineer in a research environment on a real research task. The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) and NCAR designed and implemented a six-week summer internship program for high school students modeled after the successful Significant Opportunities in Atmospheric Research and Science (SOARS) program. Based on student interests, they are paired with scientists and engineers actively working on research tasks related to atmospheric chemistry, climate change, solar physics, remote sensing, severe weather, instrument design and testing, atmospheric modeling and computer programming.

Now in its fourth year, the program has undergone significant changes since its inception, incorporating new ideas and changes based on lessons learned and input from both the students and their scientific mentors. These ideas and lessons learned will be presented, as well as recommendations on successful program elements and challenges encountered. Topics include selection of a balanced and diverse student group, mentor support, scaling of projects, evaluation and matrix. Future plans and ideas for the program will also be presented including ideas on how to reach minority groups and ways to build a stronger partnership with local high schools and minority-serving two and four year colleges.