Through the Arizona State University (ASU) program called the Science and Engineering Experience (SCENE), students have the capability to win national awards and get hands-on experience with engineering fields while they are still in high school. The Honors Science Research class, which is offered as 6th hour, allows students to leave the school in order to go to ASU for the program.

The SCENE program allows students to work in collaboration with ASU professors, who study one single engineering field, to learn the skills needed to strive in an engineering field. There the students will get the chance to study that field in a laboratory at ASU.

In order to apply for this program, the applicants need to write an essay and send in their transcripts with grades and extracurricular activities. This opportunity is not presented to just anyone. You have to work hard for the experience.

“For me I like the part of science that applies to actual life, so that’s just what I had an interest in,” said Chris Carpenter, a senior who is studying avian sleep patterns and exit artificial light.

Chemistry and science research teacher Karen Hutchinson discovered the program. She wanted students to have the opportunity to be successful in STEM related fields. “[They’ll] get exposed when [they] go to these competitions, [they’ll] not only learn about the process but get to see what the other students are doing,” Hutchinson said.

The students get to learn what it takes to be an engineer and even how college classes will be set up. There is a possibility that the participants will earn scholarships for their project. In these competitions, the students will compete with other students who are studying a science from other school districts around the country.

Senior Shawn Cherian said that, “I’m studying the Urban Heat Effect. The professor was studying asphalt and I suggested taking an environmental approach.”

Not every participant is just conducting research on their field with the professor. Some are in the process of actually conducting the experiment that will be, maybe, sent in for Science Fair. Some of the year-long projects are subject to awards from other companies and scholarships. Sophomores, juniors, and seniors are allowed to apply for the SCENE program.