Schools
NJ's Best and Brightest Showcase Summer Learning at Rutgers
The New Jersey Governor's School of Engineering and Technology enrolls academically gifted high school students with a vested interest in engineering.
Academically gifted high school students showed off a month's worth of hard work and learning on July 27 during the 2012 Governor's School of Engineering and Technology Research Symposium at Rutgers University.
The New Jersey Governor's School of Engineering and Technology enrolled 88 rising high school seniors over the past month for an intensive academic program.
Housed on Rutgers University's Busch Campus, the students spent each day taking classes, going to lectures, working on projects and taking trips and listening to guest speakers, all related to engineering.
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The school is funded through the state, and by Rutgers University, Morgan Stanley, Lockheed Martin, South Jersey Industries, Inc. and PSE&G.
The students went through an application process, after being nominated by their high schools, said Ilene Rosen, school director.
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All nominated students had to have stellar grades and SAT scores, write personal statements and submit two letters of recommendation.
300 applications were received, seeking one of the 87 available spots, Rosen said.
With such a high number of applicants, picking students was difficult, she said, and the ones that were sought after were those who showed a deep interest in engineering as a career.
On July 27, the students spent their final day in the program presenting research projects that they worked on in groups.
Topics were all in the theme of engineering, but covered a number of areas, including electric cars, semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, and manufacturing.
A presentation on ways to bring clean water to areas without included a multi-step filtration device created by students Chae Hee Lim and Emily Rabe that removed bacteria, pollutants and some heavy metals from water.
The accompanying information discussed the potential to fight disease and improve economic conditions in countries where clean water is readily available.
Barbara Pepe, coordinator of the Governor's School of New Jersey, said the program is meant to give students interested in the engineering field a wider glimpse into what is available to them as a career choice. It also serves as a social occasion, bringing together similarly-abled kids with similar interests, she said.
"It makes them understand that they are not alone," she said.
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