RIVER FALLS — The Summer Science Program (SSP) has been running for over 65 years now, selecting a group of high school students to spend about a month tackling high-level college STEM lessons that high schoolers often do not have access to.

This year the program is running from June to July, as high schoolers are gaining experience in cell biology and astrophysics.

“Not a cookie cutter type of experience for them because they are actively involved with every step of the process,” UWRF Cell Biology Academic Director Stephanie Bingham said. “They’re investigating different genes that are involved in cell division, and they are editing those genes to really learn more about the function.”

The students in the cell biology program selected their genes, working on projects where they will learn everything there is to know when the term is said and done. They will create plans for their studies and execute experiments along the way.

“It’s a pretty exciting opportunity for high school students because they’re doing college level work,” Bingham said. “They’re actually quite motivated as high school students, but this will definitely strengthen their preparation for college.

“Being part of this team and being able to help to nurture their talents, it’s what gives many of us on the faculty, and SSP in general, hope for the future,” Bingham said.

Saanvi, a student from Texas, said getting the opportunity to work with students around the United States, China, Mexico, Puerto Rico and South Korea has been an unforgettable experience, and it is just getting started.

“SSP just has so much cultural enrichment because they bring people from all over the country as well as the world [together],” Saanvi said. “It’s just so beautiful to see all of us come together for the passion that we have in science.”

Students from a variety of backgrounds and skillsets are selected, embracing a collaborative experience to share knowledge. Saanvi said when a student has an area of interest, even if it is not the professor’s area of expertise, they are willing to work with the students to pursue that passion.

“It’s just been really rewarding because, as a high schooler, we have all this pressure on us. There’s so much passion that we have, and it’s really hard for us to get an opportunity to explore that passion and discover what makes us tick,” Saanvi said. “This program has just been beautiful for that. All the professors are so supportive.”

The astrophysics course is a challenging program that involves observing asteroids and analyzing data to determine velocity. The class is doing work on the six orbital elements, completing coding work and will close the program with a paper that could be worthy of academic publishing.

Astrophysics Academic Director Truong Le said the program is valuable because it gives high schoolers a chance to see what the life of a scientist is like day in and day out.

“The program is an excellent program,” Le said. “I don’t think nowadays you get that kind of opportunity… We like to motivate our participants.”

Californian Marin Lohner has no doubt that the long trip was worth it to be a part of the SSP.

“As a high school student, there’s very limited research options. That’s something that really puts you apart and gives you important insight,” Lohner said. “I had a really big passion for aerospace, and I just wanted to expand that as much as possible. There’s only so much that a classroom can teach you.”

Lohner said learning that the best work in the real world requires collaboration and question asking has been a huge benefit. The program runs until July 18.