Who learns more, the student or the scientist? Experiences in mentoring a high school student

For the 1999-2000 school year, the Boulder Valley (Colorado) School District initiated a "Science Research Seminar" for juniors and seniors at each of the district's high schools. The seminar had a classroom component and a hands-on research component; scientists from the community were solicited for the latter. Each mentor was asked to provide a research project for the student to work on and then to assist the student in conducting and presenting the research.

This presentation will discuss the following issues: picking and supervising an appropriate research project for a student of this age; the sometimes competing interests and abilities of the school district, teacher, student, and scientist and how they affected the progression through the school year; and an overall evaluation of the experience and suggestions for the future. Although the material will be presented by a science mentor, information gained from post-project interviews with the student, teacher, and organizers will be included.