Students braved the elements to participate in a three-day event that included departmental briefings, visits to Capitol Hill, and presentation of their research findings. Each student participating in the department's Institute of Biotechnology, Environmental Science, and Computing for Community Colleges spent eight weeks this summer at one of the department's national laboratories, doing hands-on research under the guidance of the department's scientist mentors. The students didn't have to be reminded how special that was, but Jim Caverly of the department's policy office underscored it anyway. We have more Nobel laureates than any other organization in the world. David Pierce, president of the American Association of Community Colleges, shared his own sense of awe when first approached about helping sponsor a program to enable community college students to interact and talk with world class scientists.
Community colleges are very special institutions.
The role we play keeps the wheels from coming off our democracy. It was something the students knew from experience. In every presentation, they shared sincere appreciation for their mentors and the knowledge they gained working with them this summer. Lourdes Hernandez of Pellissippi State Technical Community College in Tennessee had similar feelings about her work at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Such chips can sequence DNA in hours instead of days, she said.