Eight incoming Clarkson University Honors Program students took part in the "Pre-Frosh" Summer Research Program, this past summer.
The five-week program, which runs from the last week of June through July, allows students to spend five weeks living on campus and perform research before their first year of college begins.
"It's always amazing to see how quickly the students become friends, how excited they become about their exposure to what college research is like, and how much they enjoy exploring Clarkson and Potsdam," says Honors Program Director Professor Kate Krueger.
The Honors Program pairs the students with Clarkson faculty so they get an early start on research, learn about what research is like at Clarkson, and get to know one another before their official first year.
"The summer pre-frosh research was an amazing experience," says participant Robert Davis, a mechanical engineering major from Delmar, N.Y. " I would do it again hands down. You get the experience of working in a lab and a team before you start your time at Clarkson. At the end of the summer, you present and tell people all about your work. The program not only helps you academically, but also socially. I made some amazing friends who made the first week of classes easier."
The Honors Program places accepted students in the program depending on the availability of faculty advisors and upperclassmen peer mentors. It also tries to match pre-frosh students based on their anticipated major and areas of interest.
"I really enjoyed the research experience," says Rachel Gentile, a mechanical engineering major from East Haddam, Conn. "It was cool to live on campus before moving in as a freshman and to also meet other people doing the same thing. I also liked seeing Potsdam in the summer and meeting upperclassmen, grad students, and professors."
Also participating in the program were Semih Gultekin, computer science, Jersey City, N.J.; Madison Morsey, chemistry and environmental engineering, Hopewell Junction, N.Y.; Elise Smith, engineering studies, Beaconsfield, Quebec; Gianna Voce, computer science, Lake Placid, N.Y.; Jesse Dykes, computer science, West Wardsboro, Vt.; and Conor Powers, mechanical engineering, Homer, N.Y.
"The pre-frosh research experience is a unique opportunity that Clarkson Honors offers its students, unlike anything I've seen at other institutions," says Krueger. "How often do students get to spend five weeks on campus doing research with professors before they start their freshman year? This year's group of pre-frosh students really embraced the learning experience and adapted to the lab and field environments. They threw themselves into it, learned on the fly, asked questions, and bonded really quickly as a group."
Find out more about Clarkson's Honors Program at clarkson.edu/honors.
