INL hosts career day to teach students about careers in STEM
More than 60 high school juniors and teachers with an interest in science and technology took looks at different careers at the Idaho National Laboratory.
The students came from all over Idaho, seeking insight on careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math).
“I just came because I figured it’d be a good opportunity to learn about different options for later on. I’ve always been interested in science,” said Sierra Rogers, a junior at West Jefferson High School.
“That’s pretty much my main reason here, because I don’t really know what I want to do yet. So I thought this would be a good opportunity to find out if there’s something cool here,” said Nathan Christensen, a junior at North Gem High School.
Students spoke to the lab’s scientists and engineers.
“They don’t really know what they can do with it. OK, I can be a doctor, I can be an engineer. But they don’t even know what being an engineer means. I’ve brought classes here before and they just come back and are like, ‘Oh, it’s so cool because I didn’t even know you could do these things,'” said Idaho Falls High School chemistry teacher Barbara Nelson.
The program offered hands-on sessions, and laboratory tours included real-world activities and problems to solve.
“The last activity was probably the coolest. You got to learn a lot about chemistry and ultraviolet light and how it reacts with uranium and stuff,” Christensen said.
“We did nuclear forensics and radiochemistry — the CSI effect. It was just introducing the kids to a radioactive world and forensics,” said Dr. Catherine Riddle, a radiochemist research scientist at the INL.
There was also the CAVE. Unlike pie charts and spreadsheets, the CAVE is a 3-D visualization tool that helps researchers explore data from all across the world.
“I really want to do something with engineering, I don’t know if I want to be a chemical engineer. I like automotive stuff too,” said Idaho Falls High School junior Chase Meyers.
“I really love science and math,” said Brindy Schuman, a junior from Preston High School, “All of it kind of interests me a lot. I’m currently taking chemistry, and that is so cool for me. I think it’s so fun. And I love psychology and just lots of ranges of science.”
