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STEM learning project connects ETHS students with industry leaders

Dec 4, 2015
 

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ETHS students (from left) Tali Dully, Elizabeth Pena and Kearra Pastor will use skills learned in their Health Science class to help pharmaceutical companies develop solutions to real-world problems.

 

Evanston Township High School students are among more than 1,200 teens to participate in a collaborative project spearheaded by the Illinois Science and Technology Institute (ISTI) to bolster the state’s STEM talent pipeline. Through an expansion of its Research and Development (R&D) STEM Learning Exchange, ISTI is working with 29 Illinois high schools to connect students to future careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).

 

Through the STEM Learning Exchange, participating schools are matched with leading corporations and research institutions to promote inquiry-based learning, build critical thinking skills and provide perspective on R&D applications for students. From January through May 2016, students will work alongside experts from Illinois’ top companies and together foster real-world innovation.

 

At ETHS, two teachers in the Career and Technical Education Department will have the opportunity to be part of the initiative. Linnette Hill’s health science classes will work with Takeda Pharmaceuticals International and Cindy Curtis’ engineering classes will work with Argonne National Laboratory.


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ETHS juniors (clockwise from left) Sam Northcut, Ella Roberts, Miriam Araia and Lesely Escobar refine their research and problem-solving skills to prepare for their second semester STEM project with pharmaceutical companies.

 

Takeda and other pharmaceutical companies are interested in addressing the issue of poor medication adherence as it is estimated that only half of medications for chronic illness are taken as directed – duration, frequency, dosage, timing, etc. Health Science students at ETHS will be working with Takeda to answer the following question:  “How can you address and improve the problem of medication adherence in your chosen therapeutic area and develop solutions to present to Takeda Pharmaceuticals and other industry stakeholders?”

 

Argonne’s Cyber Operations, Analysis, and Research (COAR) team is seeking input about teenagers’ use of apps on mobile devices, knowledge and perceptions about security and permissions, and suggestions for improving security. Engineering students at ETHS will research, assess, analyze and make recommendations to their team. For instance, which apps ask for access to the user’s location settings, contacts, calendar, photos, microphone, and camera? An analysis on privacy settings could illuminate apps that request excessive amounts of a user’s personal data. Further, it will help reveal how data is being used when access is allowed, where the personal information goes, and if data is made available to a third party.

 

Projects will be showcased in May 2016. More information about STEM Challenges is available online. For questions about partnerships with ETHS, contact Shelley Gates, ETHS Career & Technical Education Department Chair, at gatess@eths.k12.il.us.