In addition, Wright Scholars often are among the brightest young minds in the Miami Valley. The program is selective; applications and essays are blindly judged by a panel of scientists, engineers and educators. Of the numerous applicants, only a small portion are selected. While most of the students are residents in the Dayton area, some commute an hour or more to participate in the program. This year, students traveled from Louisiana, New York, Connecticut and California to participate and serve the Air Force Research Laboratory through their project work.
Through the program, Wright Scholars are assigned to a mentor who provide them with a research project to complete over the course of the summer. When submitting their application, students have the option of listing their top three desired areas from a list of choices that include: aerospace, biomedical, chemical, electrical and mechanical engineering, as well as computer science and a few others. The projects the students complete are within the parameters of their selected STEM/engineering disciplines.
This summer, Wright Scholars worked on projects that range from experimenting with liquid crystals to using coding languages to solve complex problems. Every intern has a unique experience that defines what they gain from their employment. Some Wright Scholars spend much of their time at a computer, while others are performing laboratory experiments; these Wright Scholars often ask fellow members to participate in their experiments to aid them in their scientific endeavors.
At the conclusion of the nine-week internship, the students present their research to their peers and their mentors in a series of briefings
Aside from their project work, Wright Scholars had the opportunity to travel to the University of Dayton, Wright State University and The Ohio State University for various lectures and workshops. Additionally, Wright Scholars attended weekly lectures on base given by leading researchers and top scientists at AFRL. At the University of Dayton, students heard from professors from the engineering department and attended workshops through their Summer Science and Engineering Enrichment program. The Ohio State University hosted the students with an electrical engineering workshop taught by an engaging professor in the College of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Dr. Betty Lise Anderson.
When asked about their favorite experiences of the summer, some students cited Dr. Tony Saliba’s lecture at the University of Dayton on “College and Career Advice” as their top pick. Other students found the talk on “Growing Splendid Leaders,” given by Dr. Vince Russo, to be one of the inspirational highlights of the Wright Scholar weekly lectures. Other notable events included a propulsion course, hosted by the Air Force Institute of Technology and taught by former Wright Scholar Mike Ooten.
Furthermore, the Wright Scholar program has been known to guide its participants to success. It teaches students to embrace their gifts and inspires them to consider meaningful STEM careers. In fact, many former Wright Scholars have returned to Wright-Patterson, where they hold full-time positions, continuing and building upon the research they were exposed to during their time in the program.
The Wright Scholar program provides students with an introduction on how they can examine their intuition to overcome challenges and collaborate with others to produce valuable solutions. To learn more about the Wright Scholar program, contact Debbie Miller at 937-938-4866.
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