CCNY President Vincent Boudreau [far left] with outstanding STEM school students from the Ukraine at the start of the second edition of the "Science for Ukraine" program. Photo credit: Egor Kurganov, UCF.
For the second time in three years, some of Ukraine鈥檚 brightest high school students can count on 海角社区 as they continue on the path to become their embattled nation鈥檚 next generation of scientists and engineers.
The 鈥淪cience for Ukraine鈥 program is the brainchild of former CCNY physicist , a pioneer of topological photonics and one of the world鈥檚 Highly Cited Researchers (HCR). It brings students, mostly from the STEM-focused Ukraine Physics and Mathematics Lyceum (UPML) in Kyiv, and is supported by the Simons Foundation, the Office of Naval Research, as well as CCNY and the Graduate Center, CUNY.
Recently, 30 students from as the latest cohort of the program designed to be an immersive, intensive experience for top-performing students, many of whom are winners or finalists in international science Olympiads.
They worked directly with researchers and advisors from both , as well as Khanikaev鈥檚 team at CCNY and from the University of Central Florida. The students conducted experiments in photonics, including wave phenomena, polarization, interferometry, and two-dimensional materials like graphene, and immersed themselves in nanoscience, neuroscience research, and environmental science. At the end of the program, students presented research posters to showcase what they learned.
The program also introduces the students to the U.S. higher education system鈥攕omething Khanikaev hopes will inspire longer-term opportunities. Students learned how to apply to American universities鈥攊ncluding how to write application essays and prepare for interviews.
鈥淪ome of the students who participated [two years ago] are now students here in the U.S.鈥 said Khanikaev. 鈥淎nd even if they decide to stay in Ukraine, it鈥檚 great for rebuilding the country after the war ends.鈥
to read more about the second edition of the 鈥淪cience for Ukraine Program.鈥
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Jay Mwamba
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