Syracuse Sun

The 2024 cohort of Syracuse-area high school students participated in the Syracuse University Physics Emerging Research Technologies Summer High School Internship Program. Thanks to a new National Science Foundation (NSF) grant, Syracuse University’s physics department has doubled the number of local high school participants in their paid summer internship program.

STEM jobs are rapidly becoming essential to America's workforce. By 2031, STEM occupations are projected to grow by 10.8%, while non-STEM occupations will grow at about half that rate at 4.9%. The arrival of the Micron chip manufacturing facility in Central New York is expected to create 9,000 high-paying positions, contributing to this growth.

Federal funding organizations like the NSF have recognized this shift and are supporting initiatives aimed at developing a diverse STEM workforce. Since 2022, the College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Physics has hosted a program for Syracuse-area high school students to participate in paid research internships. Recently, the NSF pledged nearly $1 million to Syracuse University through their Experiential Learning for Emerging and Novel Technologies (ExLENT) campaign, which will fund the physics internship over three years.

Originally known as Syracuse University Research in Physics (SURPh), the program aims to create STEM career pathways for historically excluded groups by involving them in authentic research experiences and providing mentoring and peer networks. SURPh was initiated by former physics student Ruell Branch ’24.

“I wanted Syracuse high school students who have interests in physics to see what it’s like to work as a paid scientist,” says Branch, who graduated from the Syracuse City School District. “I think it’s extremely important for students to get experience conducting research in an actual science lab.”

With assistance from physics professor Jennifer Ross, Henninger High School science teacher Melanie Pelcher, and fellow Syracuse alum Devon Lamanna ’23, G’24, SURPh was established. Now with NSF funding awarded to Ross and fellow physics professor Mitch Soderberg, the summer program will be funded through 2026.

“The new NSF support is a game-changer,” says Soderberg. “It signifies to the students who participate that not only those of us in the SU physics department and Syracuse city schools but also policymakers in the federal government see value in helping them get excited about STEM disciplines.”

The three-year grant allowed the program to expand from 12 students in 2023 to 24 in 2024 and brought additional faculty mentors on board. Past funding came from sources such as the John Ben Snow Foundation and internal support from the Engaged Humanities Network and the physics department.

“This program could not have achieved NSF funding without these other sources,” says Ross.

Now called SUPER-Tech SHIP (Syracuse University Physics Emerging Research Technologies Summer High School Internship Program), it recently concluded its summer session with a closing ceremony and poster session where students showcased skills related to computational physics, biophysics, and particle physics during the six-week program.