The Stanford Compression Forum (SCF), recently completed its inaugural summer internship program, alliteratively named – STEM to SHTEM (Science, Humanities, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). Professor Tsachy Weisman and the Compression Forum hosted 44 high school students for internships that ranged from 5 to 9 weeks this summer. 

"The internship is a great opportunity for students to experience engineering research in a new light. Working in groups, students from all kinds of backgrounds had the chance to not only research exciting questions at the intersection of different fields, but also learn from their peers unique ways to approach these questions," reports internship coordinator and graduate student Cindy Nguyen. "This early exposure to research helps break down barriers to entry for a lot of underrepresented students and will, hopefully, trickle down into their decisions in becoming the next generation of engineers, doctors, and scientists."

Although, the internship was unpaid, it provided exposure to research, transcending traditional disciplinary boundaries. Students were grouped into eleven projects that spanned 9 topic areas. Topic areas included DNA compression, Facial HAAC, Nanopore Technology, Discrete Cube Mathematics, Olfactory in VR, Artificial Olfaction Measurement, Decision Making in Games, Computer Assisted Image Reconstruction, and Audio File Compression.

Additional information about the Stanford Compression Forum: compression.stanford.edu/summer-internships-high-school-students; for inquiries on the 2019 projects and groups: scf_high_school_internship@stanford.edu. 

Excerpts from 2019 interns:

"I applied to this internship with the intent on working on something related to the genetics field (which I love), and I never expected to learn how to use Python in the process. If it weren't for this internship I probably wouldn't have ever put myself in a situation where I would have to learn how [to] code. I'm happy to say that although it can be challenging at times, I'm extremely grateful for having been given this opportunity to learn about Python and how to use it."

"This internship introduced me to some amazing people and mentors. This project taught me things like advanced programming, communication skills, and developed my interest in computer science and electrical engineering."

"I had a wonderful experience with this internship! My mentor is not only amazing at what he does – but he is also very funny. I enjoy spending time with my group because whenever one of us makes a small discovery, we all get excited."

"This internship has allowed me to learn so much from basic compression to coding with python. I am glad I was able to participate."