Annual Caltech Program Inspires High School Students to Pursue Careers in Computational Science

The 1999 Caltech Computational Sciences Awareness Program, held March 22-23, introduced more than 100 high school students to groundbreaking research in science, mathematics, and technology. Now in its seventh year, this annual outreach program for minority youth offers stimulating, first-hand information on scientific work in a variety of fields, with a special emphasis on the computational science model and its elements.

The program was initiated by CRPC researcher and Caltech Applied Mathematics Professor Herb Keller in 1992 to encourage minority youth to consider or continue to prepare for math- or science-related careers. In particular, the program focuses on careers related to computers or the computational sciences. More than 200 individuals have contributed their time and expertise to the program since its inception, including professors, postdoctorate scholars, graduate students, staff, and industry professionals from the private and public sectors.

This year, participants learned about the history and evolution of computers; modern-day applications of advanced computers in research, business, and government; and new applications and possibilities for parallel and distributed computing. The students were exposed to research in such diverse areas as seismology, planetary sciences, materials and molecular simulation, nuclear physics, fluid dynamics, chemical reactions, economics, and more.

Participants are drawn from magnet science and technology programs at more than 20 high schools throughout the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Sponsored by the CRPC and Caltech, the workshop is developed in conjunction with Capitol Focus, a Sacramento-based, interdisciplinary outreach project for California citizens and youth.

For more information, contact Jim Muldavin at (916) 443-2229 or muldavin@mother.com. For information on this or other CRPC-sponsored education programs at Caltech, contact JoAnn Boyd, (818) 395-4562 or joann@ama.caltech.edu.

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