When should students start actively participating in research? The attached paper co-authored by my mentor, Richard Wasseresug, suggests that students that actively participate in high school research programs are more likely to achieve long term success in academia. Prof. Wassersug believes that early research experiences need to be authentic and have a high potential for student success. Like any new endeavour, students that enjoy early success in research will be more confident pursuing future opportunities. In my classroom, my goal has been to provide students with the fundamental skills they will need to complete a longterm research project, such as literature reviews, project development and verbal communication. Building foundational skills in the classroom is important but students need to be actively engaged in the scientific community. So how do we produce more successful scientists? I suggest the re-birth of high school co-op programs that places students in university laboratories so they can gain the early career experience with opportunities to have their names on published academic papers.
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