Preparing Middle and High School Students for Careers in Science and Health: Partnerships from the Chicago Area

by Joanna Greene, Deputy Director, Chicago Workforce Board

Today’s youth are tomorrow’s workforce. That’s why the Chicago Workforce Board (CWB) is involved in two innovative programs that are connecting middle and high school students to real-life work experiences and the skills necessary for the good jobs of the future.

Through a science-based distance learning program and a healthcare-career promotional initiative, CWB aims to fulfill the dual goals of stimulating students’ interest in promising careers and meeting the workforce needs of some of the region’s high-demand, high-paying jobs.

The Science Careers Video Conferencing Series

Argonne National Laboratory, one of the U.S. Department of Energy’s largest research centers, is an incredible scientific research asset located in the Chicago area. Argonne supports upwards of 200 research projects, ranging from studies of the atomic nucleus to global climate change. Since 1990, Argonne has worked with more than 600 companies and numerous federal agencies and other organizations.

To take advantage of this resource, CWB, Chicago Public Schools and Argonne have formed a unique partnership to introduce students to the real world of science careers.1 The Science Careers Video Conferencing Series introduces students to scientists, technicians, and the tools and facilities with which they do their exciting work.

Typically, middle and high school students have little opportunity to meet, let alone interact, with a broad range of scientific researchers and technical professionals during the school day. To provide this opportunity without having to spend two or more hours traveling on school buses to and from Argonne (located 25 miles southwest of Chicago), Chicago public high school students are talking with scientists and taking virtual field trips from their school classrooms.

“As students see scientists as down-to-earth people with interesting jobs, and numerous perks, it is hoped they will stop and reconsider their career plans, instead of opting for traditional business, law, or liberal arts programs,” says Lou Harnisch, Program Coordinator at Argonne’s Division of Educational programs. “Just because a student excels in a science class does not mean she or he will automatically target a research or science-related career.Many students need more proof; they need a boost.With this program, they learn firsthand what it is like to be a scientist.”

Between November 2003 and May 2005, 11 point-topoint video conferences took place between Argonne and four Chicago public high schools, involving hundreds of students, six teachers and 29 Argonne scientists, engineers, and technicians. During the actual sessions, students saw lab procedures and experimental work in progress, learned about scientific teamwork and asked questions of the scientists. The scientists and technical professionals involved included material scientists and engineers, chemists and chemical engineers, spectroscopists, physicists, computer scientists, programmers and equipment designers, ranging in experience from early-career postdoctoral scientists to senior scientist team leaders.

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