Everybody's Talking!
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"THANK YOU for the wonderful experience teaching in the UCI COSMOS program. It was impressive to see so many young students so passionate about learning science. The presentations on the last day truly demonstrated that our country has the intelligence to compete with the world's best." --Dr. Engesser Cesar, Neuroscience
"This is my fifth season with COSMOS. I enjoy getting to know the students and being affected by their enthusiasm. Hanging out with them near the end of the 4 weeks while they fly the airplanes they designed and built is especially enjoyable." --Dr. Mease, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
"Never before have I witnessed high school students being so enthusiastically engaged with scientific experimenting, thinking and discussing. COSMOS is a extraordinary success, sowing the seeds of a healthy scientist population for the decades ahead!" --Dr. Potma, Chemistry
"Working with this bright and enthusiastic group of young people has been wonderful. I wouldn't be surprised to see many of them at the forefront of scientific discovery within ten years' time. On top of all of their great academic qualities, these kids are fun to be around, with great personalities and real zest for life. I'm very proud of our astro cluster." --Dr. Bullock, Physics & Astronomy
"The COSMOS program brings out the best in our faculty and the best in California's high school science and mathematics students." --Dr. Stern, Mathematics
"I have really enjoyed the students and their own style of 'renewable energy'." --Dr. Farmer, Chemistry
"COSMOS is the best teaching experience I've ever had. There are no grades, no tests. Students learn for the sheer enjoyment." --Dr. Weis, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
“As a professor, I, like you, believe that instructing the next generation is of great importance. Inspiration and enthusiasm are some of the best teaching tools. I am happy to do this each year.” --Dr. Fruehauf, College of Medicine
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“I learned a whole bunch of terminology and interesting ways to remember them. Everyone’s from all over California and they are all brought here to this one place.” --Shawn
“It’s been really fun, a real college experience. It feels good having a dorm key and meal card. I’m making friends from all over the states -- a new thing for me.” --Daniel
“I’ve enjoyed the labs. I’m making a robot. My RA Pedro and my suite are really cool. We got to know each other really fast.” --Eduardo
“It’s fun. I have an awesome room mate!” --Liz
“People here are really nice and the instructors are trying to help us learn. I love the ice cream at lunch and dinner.” --Rachel
“You get to meet people from everywhere.” --Jennifer
“You get to do whatever you want, whenever you want, when you’re not in class. The programming is new to me, but the professors encourage us to ask questions and explain everything.” --Thomas
“The instructors have a different scientific approach -- for a better understanding of the subject. We get to use high tech equipment you don’t get in high school. People here share similar goals. College life is fun!” --Amisha
“Everything’s new -- I’m learning all kinds of things.” --Geneva
“I have been meeting new people from all over California. It’s cool having a roommate. Classes are cool too. In our labs we get hands-on experience.” --Umar
“My favorite thing so far is the sheep brain dissection. We got this opportunity while others have to go to college for a couple of years before doing it. I like the variety of food at the dining hall -- I don’t get this many choices at home!” --Jeanie
“I think it’s a good to have the college and dorm life experience.” --Natalie
“It’s great being at the observatory at 2 a.m. -- I’m usually up at this time anyway, milking cows at the dairy. The stars are out and it’s so peaceful.” --Miguel
“COSMOS is really great! I’m having fun. I’ve never done a program like this before. Bioinformatics is very fast-paced and we cover a lot of material every day. It’s really interesting, learning about the sequencing of the human genome.” --Evelyn
“I dissected the sciatic nerve of a frog. When I cut the spinal cord, one leg went shooting off the plate!” --Blaine
“It’s been cool. The labs have all new stuff and we get to play around with sophisticated equipment, for example, class three lasers.” --Yusuke
“It’s interesting the way they, our professors, teach. it’s not like high school, not all textbook, but a lot more labs and hands-on.” --Christine
“I’ve made some great friends. In my group project, we’re learning about number counts of distant galaxies and using that to determine the shape of the universe. The lectures are full of information.” --Desiree
“I’m enjoying the game room, especially pool and foosball. I’m making friends, and enjoying the learning experiences in Cluster 5.” --Ruel
“It’s really great. It’s going to help me next year (in school). I like the hands-on labs. They involve lasers and how to identify the elements.” --Stephanie
“It’s a great way to meet people, and really fun. There are great activities to enjoy every day. The professors are really cool. If you’re having trouble, they explain things in a way you can understand.” --Kyle
“There are a lot of activities, and it’s so fun. The professors are so nice. They explain everything so well.” --Susana
“My experience in COSMOS is great. The professors help you understand college life and they give you an advantage - to help you get ready for college. My robot is going good. We started the frame and putting wheels and the motor together.’ --Marcos
“It’s really fun and interesting. We’re studying how people have affected PFCs in the environment the past 100 years. At the marsh we took water and soil samples. We put water in a big bottle, added weeds and chemicals, and let the organisms grow bacteria.” --Emily
"COSMOS is really fun. I like all the activities after classes. I've met a lot of new friends. In my cluster, I liked going to the marsh, and taking water and soil samples. I like the different experiments we do." --David
"My COSMOS experience is really, really great. You get to meet people interested in the same things as you, and you get to expand your knowledge. You get to experience living in the dorms, having a roommate -- it's the college experience. The teachers are great. They take time to explain things." --Erik
"I'm learning about flight mechanics and energy. It's a lot of fun using the power tools in lab to build the robot. We have to cut the sheet metal." --Andrew
"COSMOS is a really good experience for me. I get to meet a lot of people and make friends. You learn a lot from COSMOS. I love the professors and everyone—the RAs. In Neuroscience, I get to dissect a lot of things and learn about the human brain." --Han
"Going to the Palomar (Observatory) and the beach is my favorite experience so far—and all the Cluster One bonding." --Bev
"It's nice being around people who have the same interests as you. We learned about the scanning electron microscope, and I enjoyed growing crystals." --Eugene
"COSMOS is great! It's something you don't experience in high school. I can finally combine my interest in computer science and biology, two subjects I'm interested in. Everything's hands-on. And I like the "equilibrium" of academic and social life." --Clyde
"I've enjoyed meeting new people and have learned a lot. In lab, we were studying how a buffer solution changes the pH of soil. We used fruit dyes to produce energy with a solar cell. My professor can teach us in a way that we can relate to." --Michael
"It's been such a great experience. I came knowing nothing but now I'm full of smartness. I learned the program at the Observatory and I opened the dome! That was pretty exciting."--Kristine
"COSMOS gives you that experience of being away from your family, it gives you a head start on what it's going to be like to be away from home [in college]. There's a lot of cultural diversity. The RAs are very responsible. The professors have a lot of knowledge to share, and there are lots of topics in COSMOS." --Bianca
"I've enjoyed COSMOS very much. It's really fun. I'm learning a lot. My favorite lab was the DO2 max - the oxygen intake lab. My professors are really good at teaching the material." --Jonathan
"During COSMOS I've learned to communicate with other students. The professors are really awesome, helpful. I like the lectures a lot. They're very interesting. The RAs are fun to hang around with; they feel like they're one of us!" --Elizabeth
"I expected it to be a lot of work and no play, but it's been a good mix of play and collaborative work. I really like dissecting! My favorite was the sciatic nerve of the frog -- good but scary because when I cut the spinal cord, it moved! I really like chemistry but I also like psychiatry, so I am considering psychology or psychiatry for my future." --Emma
"It's been great fun and the RAs are very helpful. The whole experience is exciting. I had a good time with the professors." --Surya
"I've learned so much more than I had planned to! Here, you get to know the professors on a more personal basis, like eat lunch with them. I like the bonding in our cluster." --Chi
"My COSMOS experience has been really good. It's my first program ever. I was lucky enough to have a teacher that explained what the program was about, and knowing that financial aid was available helped a lot. I'm going to be the first in my family to go to college." --Miguel
"My experience has been really, really great. I knew what I was getting into — at least I thought I did—but I didn't expect it to be so hands-on, and the professors to be so great. I'm learning so much." --Deanna
"I know that putting together the COSMOS program must have been a lot of work, so I wanted to say Thank You. I had a wonderful time, and I learned a lot -- not just about the world of science and future careers in science and math. The activities and guest lectures were cool too. Your hard work was rewarded -- or that is, your hard work rewarded me! A cosmonaut for life." --Peter |
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“I just wish to say THANK YOU for all your hard work and all the time and effort you put into COSMOS at UCI, an experience that I know will be remembered by my son forever as one of the best growing up. You provided him with an academically enriching experience as well as a wonderful memory. I am particularly impressed with the weekly newsletters.”
“COSMOS was such a big help to my grandson. This really helps young people to see their future. He came home talking about nanotechnology, WOW. My point is I hope all of you know what great work you are doing and the contributions you make in helping to develop the paths for youth.”
“Thank you for my daughter’s COSMOS experience. We are very impressed and pleased with her experience. She has clearly gained more confidence in her abilities, more direction in her studies, and a more positive attitude about college.”
“I wanted you to know how grateful I am that you have such a wonderful program, and that my son was able to get a scholarship and attend. You are helping him to achieve his dreams.”
“I'm writing to say thank you to you and the COSMOS program. My daughter attended the COSMOS program in its first year - 2000. She was given a scholarship to pay the tuition. I wanted you all to know that I think the COSMOS program really helped her achieve her academic and career goals. She graduated from MIT in Mechanical Engineering in 2005 and has been working at Orbital Science Systems in the analysis group of the rocket launch team. She often mentions that the students she met at COSMOS were very special. I know your program helped her realize that she could aim high.” |
“The 2007 Cosmos experience has been an enlightening experience for me as well as the students in Cluster 4: Chemistry at the Space Time Limit. Students have been exposed to lectures and laboratories involving many new/cutting-edge technologies. Much of what we have been exposed to is not even in our high school chemistry text books yet!!! We are learning about concepts and new methods of studying chemistry that will someday (sooner, than later) have a tremendous impact on our lives. From my own personal experience, I will certainly be making a few changes and additions to some of my own chemistry presentations next year. I am also hopeful that I can bring my AP Chemistry students to view some of the labs and perhaps hear a guest-lecture or two from the professors. In addition, I plan on having at least one of my students work with one of the UCI researchers to conduct their own science fair project this fall.
“In our cluster, students have seen first hand the production of carbon nanotubes and have used atomic force microscopes and electron microscopes to image and determine the elemental make-up of the nanotubes. They have seen images of actual molecules and seen how these molecules can actually be moved around one-by-one by the researchers. They have used high power pulse lasers in combination with fluorescence microscopy to image molecules. They have actually been able to use million-dollar state-of-the art microscopes to image crystals and have seen scanning tunneling microscope apparatus that fill an entire room and that are actually build piece by piece by the UCI researchers.” --Mr. Antrim, Woodbridge High School, Irvine, CA |
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