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Each summer, the George Washington Carver Summer Research Internship Program in Iowa State's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences helps high school and college students from across the nation to explore science.
For more than 25 years, the Carver program has provided mentoring from renowned Iowa State faculty and hands-on experience with modern scientific research. It averages 25 or more interns each summer, with many students of color and women spending several weeks doing hands-on research with leading scientists in agriculture, life sciences, veterinary medicine, and related disciplines.
The program is working to keep the spirit of George Washington Carver alive and continue his legacy by inspiring the lives of young people. The Carver program bridges the gap between access and opportunity that's not always available to multicultural students, or to those with strong interests in agricultural STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) but without strong local programs to explore.
The program is helping to improve research through increased diversity, champion the value of undergraduate and graduate education, and prepare the best and brightest for a future in agricultural and related sciences.
This summer 9 high school students and 21 undergraduates are participating from Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Iowa, Louisiana, New Mexico, New York, and Puerto Rico. When they're not in the lab or field, the interns participate in seminars, agricultural tours, and
cultural activities.
Examples of research they are working on include:
- Managing sudden death syndrome in soybeans
- Poultry genetics and health
- Robotics and plant biology
- Chemical composition of flavors of cold-hardy grapes
- Bioenergy potential of perennial crops
- Exploring how bacterial immune systems fight off viral infections
Did you know? The Carver program has engaged the minds of more than 360 interns over its history. Each year, about 20% decide to return to Iowa State University to pursue a degree.
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