Two Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts seniors were selected to participate in national programs sponsored by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology that provide firsthand experiences in STEM fields. Participating in the programs has helped affirm possible career paths.
Jacob Lewis attended MIT Introduction to Technology, Engineering, and Science (MITES) Summer, a six-week, on-campus program that immerses students from across the country in life at MIT. Luis Vidal is participating in the MITES Semester program, a six-month STEM and college preparation experience that is conducted virtually from June through December.
Participants in MITES Summer took five rigorous math, science and humanities courses while living on the college’s campus in Cambridge, Mass. Students also had the opportunity to partake in lab tours, social events and college admissions counseling. Lewis, who is from Clinton, attended the program from June 21 through Aug. 1. It was an opportunity to get a firsthand look at MIT and the Boston area while meeting like-minded peers, he said.
“The experience was amazing,” Lewis said. “It taught me so much about the college application process, introduced me into an entire community of MITES scholars and gave me lifelong friends.”
He is considering studying biochemistry followed by a career in genetic engineering or pharmaceutical drug development. His interactions with the teachers and teacher assistants in the program helped him reconsider what he wants to study.
This year is the 50th anniversary for the MITES program, and the theme this year was “Dream, Believe, Achieve.” Lewis said the theme “honestly influenced how I approach my goals and has made me more confident in what I will achieve in life, so I think that’s a pretty good motto.”
His summer stay in the Boston area and other parts of Massachusetts also had another personal effect on him. “Honestly, the whole experience influenced me to live in Massachusetts later in life,” he said.
Vidal of Fort Smith began his MIT experience a bit later — June 23, but it continues until December. The MITES Semester program is designed to allow students to participate virtually on a schedule that fits their needs. It is broken into two segments that provide a direct learning experience that then transitions into college and career preparation phase.
During the STEM immersion phase, which ran from June 23 through Aug. 7, participants took two classes — one core lass such as Physics, Calculus or Science Writing and Communications and a project course focused on a research topic. Vidal took Science Writing and Communications as well as a course called Stem Cells and Regeneration. In addition to attending the two classes, students also participated in webinars twice a week.
Vidal wrote a 1,000-word paper based on interviews with Dr. Ranu Jang, a distinguished professor of biomedical engineering and an associate vice-chancellor at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. Her research focuses on engineering and neuroscience.
“She actually taught me so many things I didn’t know prior to that interview,” Vidal said. “I was not sure that I really wanted to go into prosthetics before the interview and even before summer, but after hearing her explanation, it really reinforced my passion for this.”
For the Stem Cells and Regeneration course, Vidal conducted a research project on planarian worms, which have the ability to regenerate.
He began the second phase — College and Career Prep — on Aug. 10, and it continues until Dec. 7. Participants engage in essay workshops, interview prep and webinars to assist in preparing for applications.
Vidal said he participated in the program to meet and develop a network of like-minded people “who are also just as passionate in STEM as me.” To help with that kind of development, the MITES Semester program places participants in small groups of 10 to 15 people. Each cluster meets for an hour a week throughout the program’s duration to play games, discuss college prep, do mock interviews or talk about other subjects, Vidal said. “It’s random but cool!”