Last week I had the honor to be the keynote speaker at the annual Robert Pavlica Authentic Science Research Symposium. This annual event highlights the research of high school students who are conducting independent scientific research projects. As I mentioned in an earlier post, this is the program that jump-started my scientific career. As such, it was a wonderful experience to return to my old high school and once again stand on the auditorium stage, but this time as the teacher.

It was amazing to see how much the program has expanded. When I was enrolled, I was one of 5 seniors graduating from the program. This year there were 17 seniors and over 60 juniors and sophomores. This is an incredible percentage of what is a very small public school. It was also amazing to return to my high school and see how far I have come. That night, I held the highest degree of anyone in attendance. It felt kinda weird, but it also felt good. =) I look forward to returning for next year’s symposium (the 20th Anniversary) and also volunteering some time for the program once I get settled into my new job.