The project will compliment and extend the five year old Governor's Summer Program in Science and Mathematics at Rhode Island College for highly able and highly motivated high school students in the state's fifty public and private schools. A two week residential research participation component, added to the four week commuter program, will allow twenty-four high school juniors and seniors to work with practicing researchers in the design and implementation of a Chemistry/Environmental Science project. An academic-year follow-up component will extend and sustain the experience for the participants and provide a link to their classmates and teachers by involving them in similar local research projects. Assistance will be provided in the form of guidance and equipment to ensure that a significant impact can be made on the schools involved. A significant part of the activity will involve career exploration and the necessary academic preparation required for a career in the sciences. The project also focuses on the philosophy of science, the scientific method, and scientific ethics in terms of treating data effectively.
