For six weeks, 36 high-achieving high school students functioned on very little sleep. From dusk until 3 a.m., students in this year鈥檚听听(SSP) tracked asteroids using telescopes at the听. They determined orbit patterns, learned college level celestial mechanics and physics, along with computer programming, and calculated the likelihood that their assigned asteroid would collide with the earth at some point in the future.
"We didn鈥檛 learn it in a classroom," said Julia Edsparr, 17, from London. "We went up to the deck several times a week to take our own measurements. It was really cool to be able to take your own measurements."
A typical day for the high school students began at 9 a.m. and included a combination of lectures and programming throughout the day, with quick breaks for lunch and dinner. The real work began after the sun went down.
"They鈥檝e spent over 1600 hours on the observation deck," said Martin Mason, academic director of SSP. "The students in SSP are expected to do everything from the basics: They write software, take measurements and figure out the orbit from three little points."
Many of the students had prior interest in space studies and most are interested in pursuing a STEM-related major in college.
"It gave me a picture of what the research side would look like,鈥� said Isaac Ruble, 17, from Erie, Colorado. 鈥淚 know I want to do something STEM related. SSP will set me up well for the future."
The hands-on approach to science and the high academic expectations provided an experience unlike a typical high school classroom setting.
"I think in high school a lot of kids are challenged, but in a different way, by the sheer amount of work, rather than by actually having to think," said Edsparr. "That is one thing I really liked about the program; you have to think about what you鈥檙e doing. You can鈥檛 just go into it and work for 12 hours. If you don鈥檛 think about it, you鈥檙e not going to get anywhere."
Isabella Sanders attended SSP in 2011, right before her senior year in high school. The now rising senior at MIT is one of this summer鈥檚 teaching assistants.
"It was a really transformative experience for me,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 can honestly say it鈥檚 probably why I ended up at MIT. It was the first time I had enough faith in myself to apply. I wanted to give back to the program that gave me so much."
Teaching at SSP this summer helped Sanders decide to continue in research and later pursue a Ph.D. to become a professor.
Balancing a heavy academic load, exploring the area around CU-Boulder, tracking asteroids with telescopes and getting to know their classmates provided a quick introduction to college life and time management for the SSP students.
"I鈥檝e learned a good balance between working on academics and spending time with people around you," said Ruble. "Going into my senior year, that鈥檚 going to be really important. It will help me to manage my time more wisely and be more intentional about developing strong relationships."
When asked about their plans for their return home, the SSP students didn鈥檛 jump on the chance to say "sleep!" Instead, they talked about how the program will continue to advance their interests in science and aerospace.
"There鈥檚 always that fear when you鈥檙e going into a place like this that you鈥檙e going to be out of your depth," said Edsparr. "You think you won鈥檛 be able to cope or keep up, but I guess it鈥檚 just shown that, if you power through, you can do it. You鈥檙e actually talented enough to do what you want to do."
On Aug. 2, SSP concluded its 57th year and its first at CU-Boulder.