This year marked the 37th annual Summer High School Research Program at LLE, in which rising seniors from high schools in the greater Rochester area had the opportunity to conduct research alongside LLE scientists, engineers, and staff over an eight-week period. The program provides high-level technical training and helps students define career paths and prepare for scholarships, internships, and future study.
This year, 16 students from 12 high schools were selected from a competitive pool of 59 applicants, and their projects spanned a wide range of topics, including diagnostic development and operations, hydrodynamic simulations, laser optics, cryogenic target characterization, physical chemistry, computer modeling of atomic physics properties and liquid crystals, and future laser design. “The mentors at LLE and the students I had the chance to work with and get to know were the best! It’s amazing that mentors would dedicate their summer to helping high school students do research at this level,” says Logan Barvian from Spencerport High School, who worked with LLE scientist Deyan Mihalov on a project titled “Optimizing Stochastic Density Functional Theory with the MELIORA Code.”
In addition to receiving one-on-one mentorship from LLE staff and building connections with undergraduate and graduate researchers, students attended weekly seminars on a variety of general-interest scientific topics ranging from LLE’s laser fusion research program to aerospace engineering. They learned how to give a scientific presentation and how to write a scientific paper, and took part in tours of the OMEGA EP Laser System and the LLE Cryogenic Target Facility. They also had the opportunity to meet with Harold Clark, the director of the Terra Rochester Finger Lakes Regional Science and Engineering Fair, an organization dedicated to providing young students throughout the region with opportunities to engage in authentic scientific research.
This year’s program culminated in a final symposium where students presented their findings to LLE staff, family members, and their peers. Every year, the program honors an area high school math or science teacher with the William D. Ryan Inspirational Teacher Award. This year, the award went to Rita Gupta, a physics teacher from Our Lady of Mercy High School, for her outstanding efforts. Gupta was nominated by Ella Rogala and Hailey Wardell, participants of the 2025 program, who are now pursuing mechanical engineering at the University of Virginia and the University of Rochester, respectively. “Ms. Gupta is someone who never fails to make learning fun,” say Rogala and Wardell. “To both of us, [she] filled the role of mentor and supporter […] and is a constant source of inspiration and motivation to all of her students.”
Since 1989, LLE’s Summer High School Research Program has welcomed 480 high school student participants, many of whom have gone on to fulfilling careers in teaching, research, industry, and beyond. Planning has already begun for the 2027 summer season, and the program staff look forward to receiving applications from current Rochester-area high school juniors interested in STEM.