This past summer, the PERI Institute welcomed sixteen local high school students to participate in the PERI Institute STEM Education Research Program. The program was an opportunity for high school students to engage in the research process while learning about cutting-edge work aimed at improving teaching and learning in the STEM context. These talented high school students, referred to as PERI Institute Scholars, spent six weeks working with UCI faculty and staff, engaging in hands-on research projects by identifying problem statements and developing research questions, collecting and analyzing quantitative and qualitative data, and articulating research findings.
The program began with a week-long research camp held on campus, where students learned about the research process, met their research mentors and cohorts, and familiarized themselves with UCI. Reflecting on the impact of the research camp, one participant said: “Not only will these research skills be useful for me, but they also allow me to learn about how education is changing and can be improved”.
Following the research camp, students worked on a project with their mentors for the next five weeks, with their work culminating in a poster symposium. The symposium was a lively event, bringing together the scholars’ family, friends, and the UCI community. Presenting at the symposium taught scholars how to structure a research poster to showcase their team projects and present their findings. At the end of the program, the scholars expressed their appreciation and gratitude to the PERI Institute for the opportunity to explore real-world research and grow both academically and professionally.
