University of Louisiana at Monroe hosted the second President’s Academy|ULM Forum 7-12-13


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The University of Louisiana at Monroe hosted the second President’s Academy the week of July 7-12. The Academy for high-achieving high school students is a week-long program that offers a chance to work closely with university faculty to deal with a fictional pandemic. The students also work in externships with professionals in four local companies, including CenturyLink, Angus Chemical Company, E.A. Conway Medical Center and the law firm Escamilla and Poneck.

Throughout the week, academy students used materials and lessons learned at ULM and within their externships to create their “pandemic” response based on a set of parameters that they ultimately turned into a full-fledged project and presentation. The pandemic allows students to work as a team of specialists in their individual field to apply the information they have acquired throughout their externships to a theoretical, but realistic, crisis.

Externships are real world learning opportunities that take place at local businesses and hospitals with professionals in the field. This year students had a choice of four different fields of concentration to pick from.  

First, being Computer Science  in conjunction with CenturyLink, one of the largest telecommunications companies in the United States. Student’s experienced using cutting-edge technology as they move from the cubicle to the boardroom.

Second, Health Sciences students found out what it takes to make it in a medical profession by shadowing professionals as they treated different disease states at EA Conway Medical Center.

Third, Law with Escamilla, Poneck and Cruz LLP international law firm. Students followed the line of the law as they learned to research, analyze and draft legal memoranda with lawyers.

Forth, Physical Science where students  worked side-by-side with chemical engineers as they see how drugs are synthesized, developed and tested for purity in state-of-the-art analytical laboratories at ANGUS Chemical Company, a subsidiary of the Dow Chemical Company.  

This year’s pandemic involves a mystery disease, which appears at a local hospital and threatens to become a worldwide epidemic. Depending on their career path, students were charged with developing a drug that can treat the disease, while controlling the flow of information to avoid panic and protect the legal rights of individuals.

Two high school students recounted their experience Trent Guillory, a senior at Grace Christian School in Alexandria, working in the Computer Science group; and Sabra Hanna, a senior at De Ridder High School, working with the Law group.

Helpful links:

De Ridder High School: http://beaudhs.sharpschool.net/

Grace Christian School: http://www.gcsla.org/Pages/default.aspx

More info about presidents academy: http://www.ulm.edu/presidentsacademy/

Centurylink: http://www.centurylink.com/

EA Conway Medical Center: http://www.lsuhscshreveport.edu/EAConwayMedicalCenter/EAConwayHome.aspx

Dow Chemical Company: http://www.dow.com/angus/

Escamilla, Poneck and Cruz LLP international law firm: http://www.epc-law.com/site/

Air Date: Fri, 07/12/2013