A Research Experience for High School Students program (REHS), modeled after the Research Experience for Undergraduates, was initiated at the Virginia Coast Reserve LTER in 2007 with supplemental funding to our SLTER Program. The main objectives of the REHS Program are to: 1) provide an opportunity for highly motivated High School students to gain first hand experience in Environmental Sciences while conducting field research under the direct supervision of a trained scientist; 2) provide graduate students conducting research activities at the VCR-LTER program mentoring experience along with enthusiastic and highly capable field assistance; and 3) further the research goals of the VCR-LTER program. Participation in the REHS program is merit based. Graduate students apply by submitting a 2 page proposal outlining their summer research objectives and clearly describing the roles and projects that may be conducted by an REHS Summer Intern, along with a letter of support from their graduate advisor. High School students apply by submitting: 1) a copy of their academic record including a list of classes taken and grades received; 2) letter of recommendation from at least one high school science teacher; and 3) a personal essay describing why you are interested in participating in the REHS Program and what you hope to achieve as a result. Following admission to the program, REHS summer interns work one-on-one with their graduate student mentors to assist in the graduate student’s summer field research and to develop their own independent research project. All program participants meet on a regular basis to discuss the current status of their research projects, and the REHS Summer Interns are required to make public presentations of their research results at the end of the project.
To date 12 REHS interns have successfully completed the program, and the program has received positive feedback from all participants, parents and teachers of the interns, and members of the general public who have attended presentations made by the participants. We highly recommend that other LTER sites with active summer research programs and access to high school students adopt a similar program.