Syracuse Academy of Science Charter School

This is a residential 4 week summer research program, where high school students are mentored mainly by junior or senior undergraduate students, or by graduate students.

The program will engage high school students with SUNY Oswego’s scientific and teaching environment. This higher-level academic engagement will:
•  Increase the interest and desire of students to choose a STEM field as a major;
•  Increase the self-esteem of high school students to aspire to STEM fields;
•  Increase the number of underrepresented students in STEM fields.
The SASCS science teachers will benefit as well. They will:
•  Increase their scientific knowledge by becoming involved in academic research;
•  Increase the impact of the SUNY Oswego program on a larger student body, as the teachers will use their newly gained knowledge in their classrooms;
•  Open the possibility of a long-term research collaboration between themselves and the professors. The collaboration may continue in the high school, which will increase the visibility of science and of the SUNY Oswego name within the high school.
By living on campus for 4 weeks and interacting with Oswego faculty members and student mentors, the SASCS students will have increased science skills. The students work everyday from nine to four in the research labs, followed by an  hour of college level chemistry lecture. After the dinner, students enjoyed several social activities such as bowling, barbecue on Ontario lake, and movie nights. Students give poster presentation  about their projects at the end of the program and their posters will be displayed in SASCS. The program is supported by both SUNY Oswego and SASCS.

Oswego, NY -- Charlene Murray isn’t hanging out at the beach or the mall during her summer vacation. The 17-year-old senior at the Syracuse Academy of Science is sitting in a small non-air-conditioned science laboratory at the State University College at Oswego, perfecting her technique of separating various liquid mixtures.
“I made a couple of mistakes the first time I did it,” she said. “Now I make an outline for myself so I know exactly what to do.”
Murray is one of 10 Academy of Science students spending four weeks at Oswego State as part of a summer science program to show students what they learn in science applies to everyday life. “I didn’t realize that until I got here,” Murray said. “In school you are spoon-fed information, but here you actually do it.”
She found out the technique for separating mixtures she is learning is used on blood samples to separate proteins. She said it can be used to see if children have too much lead in their system or if a person has cardiovascular disease.
Kory Pierre, an Academy of Science junior, was building a contraption that tests chemicals to see which combination works best to extract hydrogen from water. “If you can split hydrogen from water, you can take the hydrogen and put it in a fuel cell,” Pierre said. “Then you can use it to power cars, lamps — produce electricity.”
The summer science program began last year with four students. Fehmi Damkaci, an organic chemistry professor at Oswego State who directs the program, said he is applying for a grant to include more students next year.Stephen D. Cannerelli / The Post-StandardCharlene Murray, a senior at the Syracuse Academy of Science, works on separating different mixtures of proteins in Snygg Hall at the State University College at Oswego. Ten students from the academy are spending four weeks at a summer science program.
He said each high school student works with an undergraduate or graduate science student from the college and a professor to learn about how research is done. Then they do it.
The program is open to students who meet two of the three following areas: member of a low-income-family, part of a minority group underrepresented in the sciences or a first-generation college student.
The students participating this year are Murray, Pierre, Toyin Ben-Shidah, Victoria Taylor, Anthi Tanguyen, Kaleel Johnson, Aaron Banks, James Seagers, Kenneth Magwood and Dalton Ackerman.

AP Students Travel to Washington, D.C.

Over the weekend of June 11th-13th, students of Mr. Chaloux’s AP US History class traveled to Washington, D.C. to experience our nation’s Capital.  The trip was a reward for all the hard work and effort that was exerted in preparation for last month’s AP Exam.  While in D.C., the students explored a number of historic landmarks, including: The Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the World War II Memorial, the Pentagon, the Capitol, and the White House.  Walking the length of the National Mall, with all its memorials and national museums, was quite a thrill.  The students agreed that visiting the Holocaust Memorial Museum was somber yet the most rewarding aspect of the trip.  Additionally, the students eagerly took part in a tour of Howard University, one of the leading educational and research facilities in the country.  Overall, it was a very successful and enjoyable trip!