UCSB CULTIVATES THE NEXT GENERATION OF RESEARCHERS

High school students from across the nation joined University of California, Santa Barbara researchers this summer to work on cutting edge projects. The Summer Research Mentorship Program participants will describe their work and findings at a public symposium on Tuesday, July 28, beginning at 9 a.m. in the Engineering II Pavilion. Topics range from a study of the type and amount of tobacco and alcohol advertising during sports programming to mapping regions of excited hydrogen in nearby seyfert galaxies.

"We have a positive sampling of the next generation of scientists in our mentorship program. Working with these students gives me faith in our future," said Miriam Polne-Fuller, director of the program and a Marine Science Institute research biologist.

The six-week program matched motivated high school students with professionals working in the fields of anthropology, astronomy, biology, communication, ecology, geography, marine biology, and psychology. Students earned university credit while gaining hands-on experience working with researchers who served as faculty advisors and research supervisors. Recreational activities for the students included field trips to fish and abalone hatcheries, marine and forest reserves, the Santa Barbara Channel Islands, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The students also observed midnight grunion runs at Goleta Beach, studied the development of baby grunions in a laboratory setting, and then released them

back to their ocean habitat.

"I think everyone

who wants to

become a scientist should be able to experience this program," said participant Daniel Peng, whose dream is to go to Stanford School of Medicine and become a doctor. "The best part is having a one-on-one relationship with a scientist."