The first cohort of students took part in the first A STAR program last summer. Having completed a year of academic work and participation, the previous year’s B STAR students were invited to participate in one of five Advanced Science and Technology Academies of Research (A STAR). The academies were both intense and residential. The academies match A STAR students with research projects based on their academic majors and research interests. Each A STAR venue was selected based on the emphasis of the research project, lead faculty, quality of summer research experience and industry/agency partnerships. Each A STAR hosted 9-15 students that were assigned to project teams of three or four. The students conducted research under the guidance of an industry or faculty facilitator and in some cases with a student research assistant. Like the B STAR, the A STAR is also not based on a lecture series. The students were engaged in “hands-on” projects. The facilitators and research assistants act as mentors sharing their knowledge and expertise to help the students complete their project. A brief description of each of the academies is described briefly below.

Computer Science – MESA Skyline Community College/ San Francisco State The students used the beta programming language C Sharp and algorithms to design a program to predict stock performances. Although this program used the stock market as a scenario it did not focus on finance, but focused on the computational and programmatic functions that can be applied to make predictions.

Inter-disciplinary Engineering – MESA Cabrillo College These students worked with a local non-profit agency in the county to improve energy efficiency and lower heating costs for homes of targeted needy families and-or to make needed repairs especially necessary in winter months. They also earned certification from the Pacific Gas and Electric Company.

Mechanical and Electrical Engineering – MESA Alan Hancock College / NASA CIPA Using the Boe Bot robotics kits, students learned to program specialized capabilities and utilize various features to produce unique robots that perform different tasks. They shared their knowledge in the spirit of service learning by acting as mentors and teaching assistants in the subsequent Mechatronics Institute for high school students.

Biological Sciences– MESA Mendocino College/Mendocino Redwood Company Student participants carried out a transect analysis of the Pt. Arena tidal areas. The data collected from these analyses were then entered into a longitudinal data base that the students developed. As part of this program, the students began a longitudinal study of carbon sequestration within forests along the Mendocino Coast.

Civil Engineering– MESA Yuba College / US Forest Service The participants in this program worked side-by side with US Forest Service civil engineers. They surveyed the area at local lake for the construction of public bathrooms and shower facilities. They surveyed a road in the Forest that will be used for logging and public access. The construction of both projects is scheduled to be completed this spring.