1. From STEM to ISEF: Cultivating Young Scientists Alexander Reyman SRC Chair of ROST (RUS001) Fair PhD, Senior researcher, Institute of Applied Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences Physics teacher in specialized classes of Lyceum # 40 and IAP RAS Nizhny Novgorod, Russia rostnizhny@gmail.com rey@appl.sci-nnov.ru

2. What do I intend to tell you about: i. Our region and our Institute ii. Why STEM education is important to us iii. Examples of our STEM programs

3. VOLGA FEDERAL DISTRICT “I know Russia – there is Moscow and once more big city” Widely spread opinion Moscow St.Petersburg WHERE DO WE LIVE Nizhny Novgorod Area 1,038,000 km 2 (401,000 sq mi) 6.8% (5 th ) Population 29,900,400 20.8% (2 nd ) Regions 14 Cities 191 Municipal Schools ~12,500 High School (9-11) Students ~900,000 National Research Universities 8 Federal Universities and Branches 2 Regional Centers of Russian Academy of Sciences 5

4. Nizhny Novgorod ( fnd. 1221, 1934-1991 - Gorky ) One of the largest cities in Russian Federation (1.5 million population) Industrial, scientific and educational center 7 universities and ~50 branches 6 institutes of Russian Academy of Sciences ~300 municipal schools, 3 private schools Region: ~ 3.5 million population ~1100 schools, ~75 000 students (9-11)

5. Institute of Applied Physics of Russian Academy of Sciences Some facts Founded in 1977 Top-5 of physical Institutes in Russia ~1100 employees ~ 50 postgraduates Involved in large international projects (LIGO, ITER etc.) Wide range of research areas Plasma physics and high power electronics Physics of atmosphere and ocean Nonlinear acoustics and remote sensing Nonlinear optics and physics of extreme fields Nonlinear dynamics and neural dynamics

6. Why education is important for us? 1.The average age of actively working scientists grows steadily I was the ‘mean scientist’ for more than 15 years. I grew old together with the Institute. 2.Attractiveness of scientific work falls steadily as well Most attractive careers are football players, fashion models, TV or movie actor, bank manager, layer, software designer. Scientist is far from the top of this list. It is real headache for all countries 3.A gap between ordinary school education, ordinary university education and competences required for scientific work increases ‘To know’ is not equal to ‘be able’ ‘To perform tasks’ is not equal to ‘solve scientific problem’ What to do? To organize our own education environment t

7. Science and Education Center of IAP RAS Immersion into science School with advanced program in physics and math Specialized ‘PHI’ classes at the Institute Association of physics teachers of Nizhny Novgorod region System of contests in physics, astronomy and computer science Summer educational camp ‘Smart Summer’ (June, July) Summer workshop in physics and math (August) School of Young Researchers Scientific conferences in our region and beyond ROST Science and Engineering Fair School level Postgraduate level University level Advanced course in English, philosophy Seminars and lectures on frontiers in modern physics Advanced School of General and Applied Physics Fundamental Radiophysics Speciality general additional

8. First step to the research: summer camp “Smart Summer” Where: 15 km off Nizhny Novgorod, Green City When: June, July Participants: ~200, grade 5+, selected by interview Educators: teachers, Institute employees, alumni Activities: lectures, workshops, research activities, excursions, sport Funding: own funds, grant of Russian Academy of Sciences Duration: 21 day Parents pay 50% of cost, the rest is covered by Russian Academy of Sciences

9. Workshops and independent research with personal tutors Summer conference: Best projects will be published in collected papers Excursions to the laboratories outside Nizhny Novgorod region (Moscow, St.Petersburg, Kazan, Caucasus etc.) for winners of summer conference “Smart Summer”: some details Excursions to the laboratories of academic institutes and scientific museums in Nizhny Novgorod Lectures of academic scientists and university professors on physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, math

10. Summer Workshop: Facts Where: 15 km off Nizhny Novgorod, Green City When: August Participants: ~100, grade 8+, selected by interview /tests Educators: students, postgraduates, young scientists (most of them – alumni). Important: they do not allow us to rule Activities: lectures, workshops, labs, seminars, projects, sport Funding: Institute funds, grant of NGO “Dynasty”, Russian Foundation for Basic Research Summer workshop in Physics and Math 1-st Workshop was organized in 1988 28-th Workshop will open the doors this August ‘EVERYTHING PASSES, AUGUST REMAINS’

11. During these 27 years ~1300 students became the alumni of this Workshop More than 90 of them actively work in IAP RAS ~ 70% choosed higher education in physics, math and IT All instructors and mentors now are the alumni of Workshop Ilya, postgraduate of IAP RAS, and his sister Nastya, alumna of Intel ISEF 2011 Dmitry, student (1998); director of Workshop (2006); deputy director of Institute (2015)

12. After summer: School of Young Researchers

13. School of Young Researchers: Facts Where: Science and Education Center of the Institute of Applied Physics When: October - April Participants: ~60, grade 6+ (selected mostly from summer students and students of ‘PH’ classes) Educators: Employees of IAP RAS & Nizhny Novgorod State University. Activities: lectures, workshops, meetings with scientists. Directions: physics, astronomy, mathematics, computer sciences, chemistry, biology, behavioral sciences Main activity: Project implementation Funding: own funds, grants of Academy, NGO “Dynasty”

14. Junior group: first steps in research work What is retroinnovation’? Aims - to find out How to plan experiments How to make experiments correctly How to analyze data and errors How to formulate results How to make presentation To study the well-known object to improve skills and (moreover) to come up with something new

15. Senior group: work in laboratories in real teams of researchers Introduction into speciality Visiting laboratories of Institute to choose future project and tutor AUDITORIUM: Lectures of famous scientists Organized by NGO “Znanie-NN” and Nizhny Novgorod Scientific Center of Russian Academy of Sciences twice a month Training courses: Computer-aided data processing Presentation skills

16. Final Event: April Conference Since 2014 – Regional conference Oral presentations, 10 min 8 sections Judges from IAP RAS and University Gives extra points for entering Nizhny Novgorod University Winners are recommended to take part in ROST Science and Engineering Fair

17. Affiliated fairs of Intel ISEF Russian Landscape: Affiliated fairs of Intel ISEF Volga SEF – ROST, Nizhny Novgorod ROST means ‘GROWTH’ ‘Junior’, Moscow ‘Scientists of the Future’, Moscow Baltic SEF, St.Peterburg ‘Avangard’, Moscow ‘Step into the Future’, Moscow Started in 2007 by Nizhny Novgorod Science and Information Center 2008 Affiliated to Intel ISEF; 2010 Expanded to VOLGA Federal District FOUNDERS AND SPONSORS Nizhny Novgorod Regional Government (Ministry of Education, Ministry of Industry and Innovations) Intel Corporation in Russia Nizhny Novgorod Scientific Center of Russian Academy of Sciences and Institute of Applied Physics Institutions and enterprises of Nizhny Novgorod Region and Volga Federal District

18. Where: Nizhny Novgorod, Science and Information Center When: November (registration of applications starts September 1) Participants: ~100, grade 9-11 (preliminary expertise of applications is mandatory; grades 6-8 allowed out of competition) Judges: employees of Academic Institutions, Universities and Hi-tech Enterprises (at least PhD degree is required). +ISEF Club Judges Sections: physics & astronomy, mathematics, computer sciences, chemistry, biology, environmental sciences, engineering, robotics Form of presentation: poster session, 15 minutes per interview Funding: funds of sponsors, grant of Ministry of Industry ROST Science and Engineering Fair: Facts

19. 3 stages of ROST SEF 1. Filing applications Each participant presents application with brief description of project. These abstracts are considered by a group of experts. Each project must meet the criteria corresponding to general Intel ISEF rules. Projects are selected to take part in intramural stage 2. Educational stage 2a. Participants can get advices on presentation of their projects, consult with an expert on scientific component of projects (E-mail, Skype conversation) 2b. Schedule of the first day of Fair includes lectures, visiting laboratories and museums of science and technologies 3. Presentation of projects Initially both oral presentation and poster session were used. Now we decided to leave only one kind – interview with judges near the poster. 15 min slot is allowed for individual discussion

20. ROST- 2014

21. Can successful project be implemented at school? What is the role of teacher? To find students who are interested in scientific research To awake their interest to this kind of activity To suggest the topic of study To consult students in searching information, in measurements, in explanation of results Sometimes: let them be independent Good idea: connecting with scientific lab to continue studies Retroinnovations in school projects Project should only pursue educational goals Some educational journals publish successful projects as an example for organizing research in school (mostly in biology and ecology); Is retroinnovation good for senior grade students? I think NO.

22. STEM CENTER Model is useful to help students and scientists to find each other Where to implement project? Who will implement my project? STEM center is a non-formal structure within scientific laboratory, institute or university allowing to organize interaction between students and young scientists

23. Where: Nizhny Novgorod Downtown When: September-May, individually - summer time Participants: >200, grade 5+, selected by interview / tests Educators: 2-step tutorage (professionals → university students & postgraduates → students) Activities: educational excursions (>800 students), school research laboratories, STEMC with Institutes and Universities Specialities: robotics, microelectronics, IT, software design Funding: budget of regional Ministry of Education STEM CENTER (continued) Executive organization: Volga Center for Aerospace Education

24. Step 1. To find students who want to be involved in scientific research Main complication: administrators of schools and teachers don’t want to give smart students outside Solution: to make student’s work attractive for teacher Cookie to organize STEM center Step 2. To find labs and mentors ready to waste their time on tinkering with students Main complication: some scientists and administrators are unfriendly to the presence of students in their laboratories Solution: to show advantages, sometimes – using administrative facilities Step 3. To bring mentor and student together and start the project Main complication: psychological incompatibility or conflict Solution: to keep track on project implementation Step 4. Consulting both student and mentor at all stages of their joint work Complication and solution: to find experts for this purpose Step 5. The project must be presented at the regional Fair

25. What You Grow Is What You Have AFTERWORD And do not forget that ROST means GROWTH If you want to find new generation of researchers in your lab If you hope for scientific thinking of young people regardless their profession You must put your soul and much efforts into this process Little by little you will get good results.

26. Look at them. It is new generation of scientists Summer Phys-Math Workshop, August 2014, Green City, Nizhny Novgorod