TAMU-CC Welcomes Top High School Students for AEOP Internship
This summer, some of the nation's brightest high school students took a significant step beyond the classroom, engaging in real-world research alongside doctoral students and professors here at Texas A&M University- Corpus Christi (TAMU-CC) through the Army Education Outreach Program (AEOP).
AEOP is a highly competitive, nationwide internship program funded by the U.S. Army that provides top-tier students with hands-on research experience, mentorship opportunities, and mind-broadening experiences.
Jessica Lou, a high school junior, was paired up with doctoral student Samuel Cheng to conduct research throughout the summer. She was given opportunities to use new and advanced equipment and broaden her horizons in her future career field.
“This internship has motivated me to really pursue STEM and a future career in engineering. The research I participated in was so much fun and I gained a new depth of knowledge though it,” said Lou.
Alicia Mathew, a high school freshman, came to TAMU-CC from Illinois to spend the summer conducting research alongside Wenjun Yi, a Department of Engineering Graduate Research Assistant. Mathew hopes to use the research experiences that she gained this summer to earn a spot in a research facility during her freshman year at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.
TAMU-CC welcomed Lou, Mathew and 6 other students to participate in this summer internship program. These students lived on campus for 9 weeks and got to experience some of the TAMU-CC culture while they were here.
“What I’ll remember even more than the actual research are the experiences that I had this summer,” said Mathew. “We got to enjoy Shark Week, and making new friends with the other interns.”
The summer ended with a research symposium where students, faculty, staff, and families were invited to campus to learn more about what the AEOP participants had studied throughout the internship.
“I would encourage anyone that is considering applying for AEOP to just do it,” Mathew said. “It is a great experience, and you have no idea what good things will come from it.”