Success with Science: The Winners' Guide to High School Research - Softcover

Gaglani, Shiv; De Obaldia, Maria Elena; Kominers, Scott; Li, Dayan; Suh, Carol

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1520578784 ISBN 13: 9781520578781

Publisher: Independently published, 2017

Synopsis

Do you want to develop useful skills, gain admission to top colleges, win scholarship money, excel at science competitions, and explore career options—all while having fun? By reading this book and using the advice within it, you will learn how to formulate a research project idea, find people who can help you complete it, effectively present it to diverse audiences, and participate successfully in research competitions. Whether you are a freshman rookie with a vague interest in science or a senior veteran striving for first place at the Science Talent Search, this guide will help you make the most of your research experience. With its testimonials from high school students whose lives were positively changed by their research experiences, this guide also aims to motivate and empower students who otherwise would not pursue science and research opportunities. In doing so, this book also seeks to encourage more students to pursue science and technology. "What Shiv Gaglani and his co-authors offer with this book is a well-crafted and practical guide for any high school student who wants to participate in (and win!) the Intel Science Talent Search, Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, or any similar research endeavor. As sponsors of these programs, we regularly get requests for exactly this information from all around the globe. I am excited to be able to point students, educators and parents to this valuable resource." Wendy Hawkins, Executive Director of the Intel Foundation "The Winners' Guide offers terrific insight and information to encourage increased numbers of students and teachers to seek out lab-based experiences to enrich and strengthen their scientific acumen." Joann P. DiGennaro, President of the Center for Excellence in Education

About this title

About the Author

Each of the authors of Success with Science received awards and scholarships based on their performance at national and international science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) competitions. These include top recognitions at the Intel International Science & Engineering Fair, Intel Science Talent Search, Siemens Competition for Math, Science, and Technology, National Gallery for America's Young Inventors, and many others that enabled them each to gain admission to and attend Harvard College. It was there that they decided to recruit over 50 other students and faculty whose lives were changed by their early research experiences. For more information, please visit the book's website at successwithscience dot org

Review

In the wake of President Barack Obama's recent State of the Union Address -- in which he lamented that the "quality of our math and science education lags behind many other nations" -- comes an extraordinary new book by five Harvard College students promoting science education to high school students. Success with Science: The Winners' Guide to High School Research was written by five current or recent Harvard undergraduates, all of whom won national or international recognition during high school at major science competitions and events, including the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair; the Siemens Competition in Math, Science and Technology; and the Intel Science Talent Search. They wrote the book to inspire more high school students to become involved in hands-on research and to experience the excitement of competing in science competitions on a national and international level. The importance of the book, published this week and available on Amazon.com, is underscored by the fact that the foreword was written by Nobel Laureate Dudley Herschbach, winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1986, who served as faculty advisor for the book. Success with Science was published by Research Corporation for Science Advancement because engaging high school students in the sciences is crucial to growing future scientists -- and, therefore, maintaining American economic preeminence -- and because hands-on research is the best way to instill in students a love of the rigor and approach of scientific inquiry. Think about it. Over the next 10 years, nearly half of all new jobs will require education that goes beyond a high school education. And yet, as many as a quarter of our students aren't even finishing high school. The quality of our math and science education lags behind many other nations. America has fallen to ninth in the proportion of young people with a college degree. And so the question is whether all of us -- as citizens, and as parents -- are willing to do what's necessary to give every child a chance to succeed." Success with Science does just that. It gives every high school student an opportunity to understand the exhilaration of scientific discovery and the advice and tips needed to increase their chances of success. Most notably, the advice and guidance comes from students who are from their same generation - current and recent college students who are only a few years older. America's stature as an economic superpower was built on scientific and technological innovation. And our ability to maintain that preeminence -- and the jobs that flow from it -- will depend on that same capacity to innovate in coming decades. That capacity will, in turn, depend on our ability to grow scientists, and nothing can compete with hands-on research for engaging students in the sciences. That's what makes Success with Science so important. It enables students to share with other students their insights and experiences from high school science competitions, their tips on starting and developing a research project, and their advice on how to increase one's chances of success. In so doing, they advance a crucial national priority and increase the potential for the economic prosperity that all Americans hope for in the years ahead. --The Huffington Post

Success with Science is an excellent resource for the budding high school scientist, providing a wealth of suggestions and advice. The book would also serve the high school science teacher wishing to provide students with research opportunities. The guide might also be useful to mentors to gain perspectives on the dynamic nature of research with a high school student, and perhaps even undergraduate and graduate students. Personally, I have mentored and coached over 200 high school science research students, with 15 earning national recognition for their work, including the Intel Science Talent Search, the Stockholm Junior Water Prize, the National Junior Science and Humanities Symposium, and the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. From these experiences, I recognize that there is no simple formula for achieving research success with students. Rather, it is an open-minded willingness to help students find a tangible, significantly relevant applied project that has meaning both for the student and an authentic audience of practicing scientists and engineers. Fostering student creativity is paramount to the process. In other words, what happens before experimentation is often far more important than the experiments themselves. In addition, having students who are bright, eager to learn, resourceful and persistent, and who manifest an intellectual curiosity that drives and sustains their efforts to know and understand, can make the research process mutually successful and exciting. The fledgling scientist-authors of Success with Science certainly were these types of students. The real challenge for educators is to move more students towards this high level of sustained performance. This guide certainly provides some of the many tools necessary to achieve that goal. --Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education

I, for one, have never read a publication like this before. I could have really used a book like this when I was in high school, or even in college. As a young researcher who started his work in 9th grade, Shiv knows all of the ins-and-outs of doing research in high school. The book basically contains a step-by-step guide on how to begin exploring your scientific interests with tons of invaluable tips to help you on the way. As an undergraduate researcher myself, I often have trouble explaining to younger students, mentees, or anyone who is interested, how to get started. I ended up in a lab almost by mistake. For a long time, I didn t know that undergraduates could do independent research, let alone a high school student. I did know that I wanted to further explore Microbiology, but wasn t sure how, so I began talking to advisers, older students, and professors about where to start. I applied for several REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) programs, but many of them were looking for students who already had lab/research experience so I didn t exactly have a chance. Fortunately, a professor I had been talking to was looking to take on an undergraduate in her lab, and since I was going to be on campus for the summer, she offered me a position with her. I was thrilled, but barely prepared for the job. It took quite a bit of time and learning before I felt comfortable with what I was doing. I still feel as though a high school research experience could have made all the different. College or even graduate school isn t too late, but I ve noticed that the earlier students are engaged in research, the more confident they are and that makes all the difference. If you re a high school student, or even an undergraduate, I really suggest reading Success with Science. You ll find tons of helpful information about when, why and how to become a researcher! It s available on Amazon and if you want to learn more about or get a preview of the book go to the book's website at successwithscience dot org --Massachusetts Academy of Sciences

Edition details

• Publisher: Independently published
• Publication date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1520578784
• ISBN 13: 9781520578781
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 193