Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - November/December 2012 - (Page 36)

research When You’re ready to do Y by Carol blackburn, Phd ou’ve done science labs in school and in summer programs. You’ve gotten hands-on experience in extracurricular activities like robotics or environmental club. Maybe you’ve even toured a lab or shadowed a researcher. Now, you want to try doing some research yourself. What are your options? don’t try this at Home For many kinds of research, you can do a project using your own resources or ones you can buy or borrow from school. This is especially true of computer science projects and those that use data available online. High school junior Catherine Wong had an idea for an inexpensive medical tool for the developing world: use simplified medical sensors to send real-time medical data via cellphone. But she didn’t stop with an idea: with help from her high school physics teacher, she built a working prototype of an EKG that transmits data via cellphone. Catherine just won NPR’s Big Idea contest for her work. Meredith Lehmann was interested in the spread of epidemics and the idea of “six degrees of separation.” Using data available on the Internet, she developed a simulation to model how epidemics spread in large population centers. Meredith became a 2012 Intel Science Talent Search (STS) finalist. Sometimes, a project begun at home can lead to an internship. Sophomore David Liu was trying to organize his family’s photo collection and developed an AI image-characterization software program to help with the task. At the local science fair, one of the judges was so impressed that he invited David to continue working on the project with him—at NASA. So David went from sorting family photos to analyzing NASA images of Earth! In 2010, David won second place in the Intel STS. If you think of a project that you can pursue on your own, go for it. But if you need expert guidance (or lab facilities) to pursue your interests, or if you don’t have an idea you’d like to pursue on your own, you have two basic choices: apply for a formal internship program, or arrange one of your own. internship Programs Many institutions, from universities and hospitals to government and private labs, have set up formal summer research internship programs for high school students. Such programs typically run for six to eight weeks and vary widely with respect to eligibility, research options, and cost. Some are just for local students, others are not. Some are commuter, others are residential. Some are very specific—focusing, for example, on pediatric oncology or particle physics—while others oﬀer placements in a range of labs. Some oﬀer a stipend, some are free, and some cost money. All have competitive admissions, with application deadlines ranging from December to March. tHinkstOck 36 imagine nov/dec 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - November/December 2012

Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - November/december 2012
Contents
Big Picture
In My Own Words
Well of Dreams
Making History Personal
A World Full of Stories
The Month of Writing Dangerously
Japan Adventures
Storytelling 2.0
On the Frontline of Digital Journalism
Once Upon a Summer
Awakening the Storyteller
Selected Opportunities & Resources
On the Doorstep of Discovery
When You’re Ready to Do Research
Off the Shelf
Word Wise
Exploring Career Options
One Step Ahead
Planning Ahead for College
Students Review
Mark Your Calendar
Knossos Games

Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - November/December 2012