Davis-Bahcall Scholars Program: Inspiring career exploration
Sanford Lab's Education and Outreach Department understands the importance of bringing together students and professionals.
Most university students can easily rattle off answers to the routine questions: “Where do you go to college?” and “What’s your major?” These receive short, confident responses. The question that follows, however, can cause a student’s confidence to unravel: “What do you plan to do with that?”
For many students, the answer is vague. They know enough about their field of interest to produce a company or organization for whom they may want to work, but the day-to-day work remains a hazy idea.
The Education and Outreach Department at Sanford Lab understands the importance of bringing together students and professionals. To help South Dakota students do just that, Sanford Lab founded the Davis-Bahcall Scholars Program in 2009.
“The wonderful thing about this program is that it gives students many opportunities to see real-world applications of science, while learning from experts,” said June Apaza, director of Education and Outreach at Sanford Lab. “The experience helps them determine whether science is the right career for them.”
This four-week summer program accepts eight South Dakota students who are entering STEM education fields and have demonstrated leadership in their communities. The program helps rising freshmen and sophomores develop an understanding of just where their passions for science, technology, engineering and math could take them.
This year, the Davis-Bahcall Scholars toured several facilities, speaking with experts in a variety of science and corporate fields and learning about opportunities for internships and careers. On their international circuit, the students toured Sanford Lab in Lead, S.D.; EROS and Sanford Health Research in Sioux Falls, S.D.; MISCO and the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minn.; the University of Wisconsin’s IceCube Neutrino Observatory and Viz Lab in Madison, Wis.; Fermilab and Argonne National Laboratory near Chicago, Ill.; Teramo Observatory in Teramo, Italy; and Gran Sasso National Laboratory under the Italian Apennines mountain range. The group also toured the 3-M Corporation office in Aberdeen, South Dakota, then gave presentations about their experiences.
Dr. Cynthia Anderson, Davis-Bahcall Program director and associate professor of biology at Black Hills State University, accompanied the group.
“I hope they’ve gained an appreciation for how broad and interconnected the STEM disciplines are,” Anderson said. “On our tours, students saw physics concepts being used to isolate biological compounds and to visualize chemistry. No longer should we look at STEM fields as interdependent, but as a cooperative realm where students can fit in, no matter their area of interest.”
After this international experience, students can explore their future careers with more first-hand knowledge.
“This trip is a great opportunity for young students, because it shows them what research is like in the real world,” said Samantha King, a pharmacology and wildlife biology major from South Dakota, studying at the University of Montana. “Everyone here is already interested in science—but the program sheds light on what a career in science is actually about.”
Roberto Penaloza Valencia, electrical engineering major at South Dakota State University, was awed by the computational capabilities of the super computers at Argonne National Lab. “Seeing the intricacy of the electronics and circuits of these computers strengthens my desire to continue in electrical engineering and work with this technology.”
Since 2009, 121 students have participated in the Davis-Bahcall Scholars Program. Begun as a physics-oriented learning experience, the program has evolved to include students from a variety of STEM majors, while incorporating an international traveling experience.
To learn more about the Davis Bahcall Scholars Program, visit https://www.sanfordlab.org/feature/davis-bahcall-scholars.