Ethan Franco, a 10th grader at PMHS and member of the robotics team, had a very interesting and educational summer. While most of us were completing summer assignments and hanging out at the beach, Ethan was enrolled in a four-week STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) prep program called the STEM Prep Summer Institute (SPSI) at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Participants of the program were taught biochemistry, quantum mechanics, scientific computing, among other subjects. While at BNL, Ethan received tours of the state-of-the-art physics-focused facility, and lectures from established professional researchers. At the end of the program participants were tasked with choosing a scientific phenomena, performing in-depth research, and presenting their findings to researchers.

While most students would choose something simple for their presentation, like a model volcano, Ethan felt adventurous. He kept hearing a word he found interesting: Quasars.  “During one of our lectures from a researcher working on the construction of the soon to be largest optical telescope in the world, the word “quasar” had surfaced multiple times.” Then, like the beginning of most good ideas, “curiosity took hold and [he] got to work.”

Thanks to his experience on the robotics team, Ethan felt prepared for his research and presentation. He said, “Robotics has allowed me to become more open to meeting new people and had diminished my fears of public speaking.” He also met robotics members from other schools, which created a “welcoming atmosphere and connection to my fellow peers.”

For his research and presentation, Ethan had the opportunity to meet Doon Gibbs, the director of BNL. He was given a certificate, and a chance to talk about the plethora of recent breakthroughs made at the facility, and the seven (yes, seven) physics nobel prizes awarded to BNL researchers throughout the years.

When asked about his favorite part of the experience, Ethan quickly replied with, “the field trips.” While studying the local environment, the group hiked throughout Caumsett State Park, and canoed along the Nissequogue River. The group also toured the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider, one of only two heavy ion colliders in the entire country, and the under-construction National Synchrotron Light Source II. Ethan also enjoyed “meeting researchers from all over the U.S that had dedicated their lives to solve the world’s issues and uncover the secrets of our universe.” It’s this experience that gave Ethan the motivation to “pursue [his] dreams of becoming an astrophysicist.”

When asked if he would attend the program again if he could, he responded “yes, in a heartbeat.” He ended by recommending “everyone who is interested in or planning to major in any type of science should attend. You don’t just learn about physics, but also environmental science, computing, and all things in between, and you get to meet professionals from within the field you’re interested in.  Its an experience you’ll never forget.”