This summer, a new cohort of 24 student scientists spent three intensive weeks living the life of a researcher through the Summer Immersion in Research and Experimentation for Next-gen Scientists (SIRENS) Program supported by Skyline College’s STEM Division and MESA program. Running from May 26 through June 12, the program gave students hands-on experiences across biotechnology, chemistry, engineering, data science, and physics, culminating in a full day of team research presentations.
The program opened with team-building activities before students rotated through skill-building workshops designed to get them comfortable in various STEM labs. In the Fab Lab, students learned basic and advanced soldering techniques, while in the Biotech lab they practiced micropipetting, a foundational skill for any bench scientist.
Midweek, the focus shifted toward some foundational science background. Students learned radiation basics and fundamentals of nuclear physics before diving into building their own Cosmic Watch, a detector capable of registering cosmic ray muons. Teams spent the rest of the week completing their detectors while also developing professional skills, including AI prompting, research, communication, and writing an annotated bibliography.
While continuing to build their Cosmic Watches, students turned to data during the second week of the program. A three-part Python for Data Analysis series walked teams through the fundamentals of working with real research data, while parallel sessions covered presentation skills, elevator pitches, 3D printing, and Phyphox, a smartphone-based tool for physics data collection. They also began laying the groundwork for their team research projects. They chose to work on a diverse range of hands-on research projects spanning physics, engineering, microbiology, and space science. Projects included investigating bacterial reduction using UV-C light; studying muon transmission through steel alloys and comparing plastic and liquid scintillators to improve muon detection; exploring the potential of lunar lava tubes; and examining how detector stabilization affects cosmic ray data collected using Cosmic Watch detectors.
Guest speakers visited throughout the week, and students explored what comes next in their scientific journeys with sessions on conference applications, career exploration, and internships. An interactive workshop on overcoming imposter syndrome offered a reflective moment for students navigating the challenges of being a STEM student and doing research for the first time. To give students a sense of what it is like to present at an academic conference, the program invited faculty, staff, and administrators from across campus to a poster session, giving students opportunities to practice explaining their research to different people throughout the session and answering their questions.
In the program’s final stretch, teams shifted fully into project completion mode, with every team preparing a group presentation to share what they had worked on and discovered. The program culminated on Friday, June 12, with a full morning of team presentations and Q&A sessions, giving each of the eight student teams a chance to showcase their research to the community. The day closed with a well-earned celebratory lunch. From soldering irons to Python scripts, from cosmic ray detectors to conference-ready abstracts, SIRENS gave students a genuine taste of the research process and a strong foundation for whatever scientific path they choose next.
This program would not have been possible without the support of peer mentors Ariana Cerna, Hary Curley, Aryanna Mendoza, Poe Chan Myayt, Hay Thi Thet Naing, Aaron Torres Mendoza, Jihyeong Yoon, and Qian Zhao, as well as team advisors Jing Folsom, Emilie Hein, Denise Hum, Jessica Hurless, Luis Jibaja, Susanne Schubert, Pia Walawalkar, Polin Yadak, and MESA Program Services Coordinator Stephanie Wells. Program participants were also grateful to all community members who showed up to hear about their projects at various points throughout the program, and to guest speakers who kindly offered their time and advice.
If you have any questions about the SIRENS program, please contact Emilie Hein (heine@smccd.edu).
If you are interested in learning some of these technical skills, look out for announcements coming out soon about Fab Lab Open Lab hours and workshops. If anyone is interested in Bioscience basic skills training, they can reach out to Jing Folsom (folsomj@smccd.edu).
MESA – Math, Engineering, Science Achievement – is an academic enrichment program that helps educationally underrepresented students excel in math and science and graduate from college with degrees in calculus-based fields. Founded in 1970, the MESA program serves pre-college, community college, and university students at over 100 sites throughout California. Skyline College’s MESA Program is part of the MESA California Community College Programs (MCCP). To learn more about or apply for the Skyline College MESA program, visit skylinecollege.edu/mesa or email skymesa@smccd.edu
