FSU Young Scholars Program
Encyclopedia
FSU Young Scholars Program (YSP) is a residential science
and mathematics
program for 40 Florida
high-school students
with potential for careers in the sciences, engineering
, and health professions
. The Young Scholars Program lasts for six weeks, and is supported by funding from Florida State University
. Students pay no fee to attend YSP, although they must provide their own transportation to and from the camp.
class (either the theoretical differential equations course or the applied problem solving
course), one of three levels of computer science
classes, and a science ethics
class. Additionally, students take a course in either biochemistry
or modern physics
. The courses and their associated laboratories are specifically designed for the program; they are neither high school
nor college
courses. Students participate in classes three days each week.
or the NHMFL over the course of six weeks conducting scientific research for two days each week. The fields of study available range from robotics
, molecular biology
, chemistry
, geology
, physics
, to zoology
. At the conclusion of the program, students present their projects in an academic conference
, documenting their findings and explaining their projects to both students and faculty.
; Dr. Dan Oberlin, Professor of Mathematics
; Drs. Harrison Prosper and Horst Wahl, Professors of Physics
; and Dr. Lloyd Epstein, Associate Professor of Biological Science
. Twenty additional Florida State science and engineering faculty members mentor the students in their independent research projects.
All applicants must have completed Algebra II, and have earned at least an unweighted "B" average in academic courses. Additionally, students must have scored at the 90th percentile or better in science or mathematics on a nationally standardized exam, such as the SAT
or PSAT.
Students are also required to submit high school transcripts
, and the two letters of recommendation (counselor and teacher).
Selection is extremely competitive. In 2005, the mean
PSAT math score was in the 98th percentile nationally. 11 of the 40 students were ranked
first in their class, and the rest were all in the top 10% of their class. The average GPA of attendees in 2005 was 4.84.
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
and mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
program for 40 Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
high-school students
Secondary education in the United States
In most jurisdictions, secondary education in the United States refers to the last six or seven years of statutory formal education. Secondary education is generally split between junior high school or middle school, usually beginning with sixth or seventh grade , and high school, beginning with...
with potential for careers in the sciences, engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
, and health professions
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
. The Young Scholars Program lasts for six weeks, and is supported by funding from Florida State University
Florida State University
The Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...
. Students pay no fee to attend YSP, although they must provide their own transportation to and from the camp.
Academic program
The curriculum of the Young Scholars Program includes course work in various areas of science and technology. All students take a mathematicsMathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
class (either the theoretical differential equations course or the applied problem solving
Problem solving
Problem solving is a mental process and is part of the larger problem process that includes problem finding and problem shaping. Consideredthe most complex of all intellectual functions, problem solving has been defined as higher-order cognitive process that requires the modulation and control of...
course), one of three levels of computer science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
classes, and a science ethics
Applied ethics
Applied ethics is, in the words of Brenda Almond, co-founder of the Society for Applied Philosophy, "the philosophical examination, from a moral standpoint, of particular issues in private and public life that are matters of moral judgment"...
class. Additionally, students take a course in either biochemistry
Biochemistry
Biochemistry, sometimes called biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes in living organisms, including, but not limited to, living matter. Biochemistry governs all living organisms and living processes...
or modern physics
Modern physics
The term modern physics refers to the post-Newtonian conception of physics. The term implies that classical descriptions of phenomena are lacking, and that an accurate, "modern", description of reality requires theories to incorporate elements of quantum mechanics or Einsteinian relativity, or both...
. The courses and their associated laboratories are specifically designed for the program; they are neither high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
nor college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
courses. Students participate in classes three days each week.
Research
Each student who attends YSP is assigned an independent research project (IRP) based on his or her interests. Students work alongside professors at either FSUFlorida State University
The Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...
or the NHMFL over the course of six weeks conducting scientific research for two days each week. The fields of study available range from robotics
Robotics
Robotics is the branch of technology that deals with the design, construction, operation, structural disposition, manufacture and application of robots...
, molecular biology
Molecular biology
Molecular biology is the branch of biology that deals with the molecular basis of biological activity. This field overlaps with other areas of biology and chemistry, particularly genetics and biochemistry...
, chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
, geology
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
, physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
, to zoology
Zoology
Zoology |zoölogy]]), is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct...
. At the conclusion of the program, students present their projects in an academic conference
Academic conference
An academic conference or symposium is a conference for researchers to present and discuss their work. Together with academic or scientific journals, conferences provide an important channel for exchange of information between researchers.-Overview:Conferences are usually composed of various...
, documenting their findings and explaining their projects to both students and faculty.
Faculty
The program is co-directed by Lance King and Academic Coordinators Barbara Shoplock and Erica Staehling. Instructional faculty includes Dr. Steve Blumsack, Emeritus Professor of MathematicsMathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
; Dr. Dan Oberlin, Professor of Mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
; Drs. Harrison Prosper and Horst Wahl, Professors of Physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
; and Dr. Lloyd Epstein, Associate Professor of Biological Science
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
. Twenty additional Florida State science and engineering faculty members mentor the students in their independent research projects.
Selection process
YSP admits students who have completed the eleventh grade in a Florida public or private high school. Occasionally, a small number of students who have completed tenth grade are admitted to the program.All applicants must have completed Algebra II, and have earned at least an unweighted "B" average in academic courses. Additionally, students must have scored at the 90th percentile or better in science or mathematics on a nationally standardized exam, such as the SAT
SAT
The SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a nonprofit organization in the United States. It was formerly developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service which still...
or PSAT.
Students are also required to submit high school transcripts
Transcript (education)
In education, a transcript is an inventory of the courses taken and grades earned of a student throughout a course.- United States :In United States education, a transcript is a copy of a student's permanent academic record which usually means all courses taken, all grades received, all...
, and the two letters of recommendation (counselor and teacher).
Selection is extremely competitive. In 2005, the mean
Mean
In statistics, mean has two related meanings:* the arithmetic mean .* the expected value of a random variable, which is also called the population mean....
PSAT math score was in the 98th percentile nationally. 11 of the 40 students were ranked
High school rank
In the United States, the term high school rank may refer to two different meanings:* The graded ranking of a student in comparison with his or her peers....
first in their class, and the rest were all in the top 10% of their class. The average GPA of attendees in 2005 was 4.84.