FSU Young Scholars Program (YSP) is a six-week residential

science Science is a systematic endeavor that Scientific method, builds and organizes knowledge in the form of Testability, testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earli ...

and mathematics summer program for 40 high school students from

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, USA, with significant potential for careers in the fields of

technology Technology is the application of knowledge to reach practical goals in a specifiable and Reproducibility, reproducible way. The word ''technology'' may also mean the product of such an endeavor. The use of technology is widely prevalent in me ...

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...

and mathematics. The program was developed in 1983 and is currently administered by the Office of Science Teaching Activities in the

College of Arts and Sciences A College of Arts and Sciences or School of Arts and Sciences is most commonly an individual institution or a unit within a university that focuses on instruction of the liberal arts and pure sciences, although they frequently include programs and ...

at Florida State University (FSU).

Academic program

Each young scholar attends three courses in the fields of mathematics, science and computer programming. The courses are designed specifically for this program — they are neither high school nor college courses.

Research

Each student who attends YSP is assigned an independent research project (IRP) based on his or her interests. Students join the research teams of FSU professors, participating in

scientific research The scientific method is an empirical method for acquiring knowledge that has characterized the development of science since at least the 17th century (with notable practitioners in previous centuries; see the article history of scientific m ...

for two days each week. The fields of study available include

robotics Robotics is an interdisciplinary branch of computer science and engineering. Robotics involves design, construction, operation, and use of robots. The goal of robotics is to design machines that can help and assist humans. Robotics integrate ...

molecular biology Molecular biology is the branch of biology that seeks to understand the molecular basis of biological activity in and between cells, including biomolecular synthesis, modification, mechanisms, and interactions. The study of chemical and physi ...

, chemistry,

geology Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Ea ...

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

and

zoology Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and ...

. At the conclusion of the program, students present their projects in an

academic conference An academic conference or scientific conference (also congress, symposium, workshop, or meeting) is an event for researchers (not necessarily academics) to present and discuss their scholarly work. Together with academic or scientific journal ...

, documenting their findings and explaining their projects to both students and faculty.

Selection process

YSP admits students who have completed the eleventh grade in a Florida

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichk ...

private high school Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

. A few exceptionally qualified and mature tenth graders have been selected in past years, though this is quite rare. All applicants must have completed

pre-calculus In mathematics education, precalculus is a course, or a set of courses, that includes algebra and trigonometry at a level which is designed to prepare students for the study of calculus. Schools often distinguish between algebra and trigonometr ...

and maintain at least a 3.0 unweighted

GPA Grading in education is the process of applying standardized measurements for varying levels of achievements in a course. Grades can be assigned as letters (usually A through F), as a range (for example, 1 to 6), as a percentage, or as a numbe ...

to be considered for acceptance. Additionally, students must have scored at the 90th percentile or better in science or mathematics on a nationally standardized exam, such as the

SAT The SAT ( ) is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States. Since its debut in 1926, its name and scoring have changed several times; originally called the Scholastic Aptitude Test, it was later called the Schol ...

, PSAT, ACT or

PLAN A plan is typically any diagram or list of steps with details of timing and resources, used to achieve an objective to do something. It is commonly understood as a temporal set of intended actions through which one expects to achieve a goal. ...

. Students are required to submit an application package, including high school transcripts and a letter of recommendation. Selection is extremely competitive, as there are typically over 200 highly qualified applicants competing for only 40 positions. The majority of past participants graduated in the top ten of their respective high school classes, with over 25% of students entering their senior year ranked first in their class. The average PSAT score of past young scholars was in the 97th percentile in mathematics and the 94th percentile in critical reading nationally.

References

External links

YSP home page
{{Florida State University Florida State University Summer camps in Florida Mathematics summer camps Science education in the United States 1983 establishments in Florida