A group of high school students solidified their interest in college-level research while making green concrete, among other projects, during the 15th annual Illinois Summer Research Academy (ISRA).
Hosted by the Center for Mathematics, Science, and Technology (CeMaST) July 22-26, the ISRA connected 38 high school freshmen, sophomores, and juniors from 21 high schools with seven Illinois State University research labs.
Each participant spent the week working with university faculty and students on one project, with topics including molecular and cellular confocal microscopy, computational chemistry, and construction materials technology.
“STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education research overwhelmingly demonstrates that experiences in research labs before college help foster students’ STEM identity, sense of belonging in STEM, and increase their likelihood of pursuing STEM careers, all of which are important goals of CeMaST,” said Dr. Ashley Waring-Sparks, CeMaST STEM program coordinator.
In the construction materials technology lab, three high school students worked with Dr. Pranshoo Solanki, a professor in the Department of Technology, to research and build green concrete made of recycled waste materials and industrial by-products instead of cement, which accounts for 8% of the planet’s carbon dioxide. Students designed, manufactured, and tested their own green concrete, which can consist of fly ash, plastic fibers, glass, shredded tires, recycled aggregates, and blast furnace slag.
Other ISRA research labs included “Investigating stress resistance in pathogens with Dr. Jan Dahl,” “Bacteria: From Single Cells to Large-Scale Communities with Dr. Kyle Floyd,” “Microscopy with Dr. Kevin Edwards,” “Computational Chemistry with Dr. George Barnes,” “Biochemistry with Dr. Marjorie A. Jones,” and “Application of Computational Modeling to Solve Chemistry Problems with Dr. Bhaskar Chilukuri.”
Waring-Sparks said the ISRA aligns with CeMaST’s goal of providing “high-quality, evidence-based” STEM learning opportunities.
“By participating in ISRA, students meaningfully contribute to outstanding STEM research happening at ISU, build their research skills, network with their peers, and learn directly from ISU faculty and graduate students,” Waring-Sparks said, “which provides a unique experiential learning opportunity for the students.”
