ARISE Summer Program

ARISE Summer Program

STEM research for high school, community college, and their teachers.

Requirements

Participant Requirements and Application Components:

High school applicants to ARISE@UM must meet the following criteria or arrange to provide the following in their application to the program:

1. Rising 9^th (i.e., completed 8th grade) through 12^th grade, community college and transfer students (including individuals who may have graduated from high school just prior to the summer are eligible.  Home-schooled applicants will need a letter from a Guardian certifying their grade status (or other valid alternative certification).
2. School transcript.
3. Statement of Interest: a 250-500 word statement explaining:
   • why the applicant is interested in participating in ARISE@UM
   • what the applicant hopes to gain from participating in the program
   • the discipline(s) or types of research topics the applicant would be interested in pursuing in the program (names of any particular research mentors can also be mentioned) and the reasons for the choices
   • future aspirations (college and/or career dreams)
4. Two teacher recommendations sent directly from the teachers to the ARISE@UM Administrative Coordinator; e-mail letters are fine, so long as they originate from a school-issued e-mail address
5. Satisfactory completion of a screening interview with the ARISE@UM Administrative Coordinator
6. Set of signed consent forms (see below) including Guardian Consent form acknowledging the realities of working in a university lab setting and the risks associated with the proposed research project (both standard risks and unusual risks will be specified).

Decisions (and exceptions) for acceptance into the ARISE@UM program will ultimately be determined at the discretion of the affiliated Mentor(s) and Administrative Team of the ARISE@UM program.

ARISE @ UM

Mission and Vision

Our goals with this program are to expose Mississippi high school students to the practice of scientific research, to demonstrate the degree to which research experience can help to improve academic performance, and to develop a pipeline of motivated and qualified MS high school students that attend UM and pursue STEM studies. We want to raise their level of excitement in pursuing further studies in STEM, encourage them to be thoughtful and well-rounded, build camaraderie and lasting friendships with their summer cohort, prepare them for better academic success in general and increase the number of students that pursue STEM careers.

A Day in the Life

High school or community college students indicate what STEM discipline they wish to experience, and are assigned into a research lab during the summer. It’s not a ‘camp’ or a course (although students can earn research course credit); it’s the opportunity to dive into an ongoing research project with the STEM discipline of their choice!

Beyond the laboratory experience each day, students meet with faculty and experts to learn more about STEM fields and careers, academic success, and scientific writing and communication of results and knowledge.

A Message from the Program Director and Faculty Coordinator

"If we are serious about improving STEM education at UM and our state, we must engage and recruit students prior their potential enrollment at UM, taking an intentional and long-view approach similar to how our athletics departments pursues potential student athletes."

Erik F Y Hom

Associate Professor of Biology

• erik@olemiss.edu
• 662-915-1731

ARISE Leadership Team

Meet the ARISE Program Director, Co-director, and Assessment Advisor.

Erik Hom

• Associate Professor of Biology

Michel Ohmer

• Assistant Professor of Biology

Candies Winfun-Cook

• Clinical Assistant Professor of Teacher Education

Meet the Faculty who make up ARISE

Faculty from different STEM fields participate in teaching during the ARISE Summer Program.

Hunain Alkhateb

• Associate Professor of Civil Engineering and Associate Director of Graphene Core Testing Facility

Joshua Bloomekatz

• Associate Professor of Biology

Paul Boudreau

• Assistant Professor of Pharmacognosy and Research Assistant Professor in the Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Saumen Chakraborty

• Associate Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry

Ryan Fortenberry

• Associate Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Erik Hom

• Associate Professor of Biology

Toshikazu Ikuta

• Associate Professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders

Jonah Jurss

• Associate Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry

Christopher Leary

• Associate Professor of Biology

Alex Lopez

• Adjunct Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering

Paul Loprinzi

• Associate Professor of Health, Exercise Science & Recreation Management

Stephanie Miller

• Associate Professor of Psychology and Provost Faculty Research Scholar for Institutional Transformation

Sasan Nouranian

• Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering and Associate Director for Research at CGRI

Michel Ohmer

• Assistant Professor of Biology

Yongjian Qiu

• Assistant Professor of Integrative Plant Biologist (Biology)

Nikki Reinemann

• Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Affiliate Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering

Gregg Roman

• Professor of Pharmacology in Biomolecular Sciences and Research Professor in the Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Courtney Roper

• Assistant Professor of Environmental Toxicology and Research Assistant Professor in the Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Eden Tanner

• Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Co-Director for the Center for Nano-Bio Interactions

Charles Walter

• Assistant Professor of Computer and Information Science

Thomas Werfel

• Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Affiliate Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering and Affiliate Associate Professor of Biomolecular Sciences and Co-Director the Center for Nano-Bio Interactions

Kristine Willett

• Chair and Professor of Pharmacology & Environmental Toxicology in BioMolecular Sciences and Research Professor in the Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Peter Zee

• Associate Professor of Biology