Greenfield student attends Joint Science and Technology Institute East
Abigail Seitz of Greenfield was one of 43 high school students attending the Joint Science and Technology Institute (JSTI) East, an educational opportunity to expand their knowledge and experience in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
JSTI East is a two-week residential program in Maryland for current high school students, teachers and alumni of the JSTI program that exposes them to scientific research through hands-on projects. There is also a one-week component for middle school students.
Seitz, the daughter of Amy Rayburn, is a student at Laurel Oaks, in Wilmington.
Seitz collaborated with scientists and was mentored by Department of Defense scientists and experts in STEM fields. They worked with their peers to complete a hands-on research project in a professional lab setting. Project topics included:
• Electronic and Military Packaging Design
• The Science and Art of Storytelling
• Design Engineering in the Era of AI
• Cycling Smarter not Herder: A Study in Experimental Design
• Flight Design and Dynamics
• Mathematics and Modeling Mania.
The educational program, held July 15-28, was a fully funded research opportunity for high school students from the United States and from U.S. Department of Defense schools around the world. It was sponsored by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency and managed by Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education. The program encouraged students to gain confidence in their own abilities, increased STEM literacy and exposed students to the importance of STEM through hands-on research.
“Our goal with programs like JSTI is to engage students with hands-on STEM activities in a way that excites them, so that they’ll be encouraged to investigate STEM career opportunities,” said ORISE associate manager Jennifer Tyrell. “Based on the reactions these students have had over the past two weeks, I think this year’s program has been a success.”
For a complete list of JSTI participants, visit https://orise.orau.gov/jstieast/participants.htm.
The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education is a U.S. Department of Energy asset that is dedicated to enabling critical scientific, research, and health initiatives of the department and its laboratory system by providing world-class expertise in STEM workforce development, scientific and technical reviews, and the evaluation of radiation exposure and environmental contamination. ORISE is managed by ORAU, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation and federal contractor, for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science.
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit https://energy.gov/science.