High school students gain real-world lab experience

Previous PICNICS student is co-author on published article

A BGSU summer program to introduce high school students to real-world research is proving its worth. The PICNICS program (Parents Involvement with Children, Nurturing Intellectual Curiosity in Science), started by Dr. Jayaraman Sivaguru, chemistry and photochemical sciences, brings high school students to work with faculty and graduate students in laboratory research.

Nathan Hershberger, a PICNICS student from 2018 who worked with Dr. Joe Furgal, gained a valuable jumpstart in the sciences as a co-author on a paper accepted by the Royal Society of Chemistry journal. The paper, titled “In situ formed methyl-co-(bis-R) silsesquioxane based polymer networks with solvent controlled pore size distributions and high surface areas” was published in the March 1, 2020, issue Materials Chemistry Frontiers. Hershberger was allowed to be an active participant in Furgal’s laboratory during the summer before his senior year in high school.

Not only was Hershberger a published co-author during his first year of college at the University of Michigan, but the program provided a valuable and technical, hands-on science experience as he prepared for his college decision.

“It is utterly clear to me that Nathan learned and gained a lot from his PICNICS experience,” said his father, Dr. Andrew Hershberger. “It was an incredible pleasure to watch Nathan and all of the very lucky PICNICS high school students give their poster presentations.”

More about the PICNICS program.