Happy Half has been an NCSSM tradition for years: the last 30 minutes before check is the precious time when students can socialize with friends and take a break from the stress of school.
While participation can vary depending on the day and weather, you can usually find at least 15-20 out on Hill Street enjoying the half an hour before check. However, a new element has been brought into the Happy Half scene: spike ball.
Spikeball is a game that involves a ball, a net, and four competitive players. It’s become a popular activity at NCSSM and boasts a club that hosts tournaments and events dedicated to the sport. Recently, however, spike ball has caused Happy Half to move from its famous spot on Hill Street to the Royall Lawn, affecting the Happy Half scene–something many students are indeed not “happy” with.
Cooper Uhl ‘25, a frequent Happy-goer, asked students their opinions one night.
“[Spikeball] was cool at first when it was just one or two [nets], but now it’s like five or six,” stated Stevie Richardson ‘25.
“I think it has been detrimental to the culture of Happy Half because it’s meant for people to be able to talk about their days,” Lola Larsen ‘25 said. “But when you are playing spike ball, it’s very difficult to have a conversation.”
Not all students are against the new Happy Half addition; many are very supportive and believe it should be here to stay.
“It’s a good activity to keep people moving and it brings the school together. It really builds a community to be able to come out to,” said Hannah Amadi ‘25.
Rishi Jalagam ‘25 believed spike ball was “the greatest thing in the history of the school.” When asked to elaborate, he replied, “Are you gonna do a legislative law? Because I’m all for anarchism.”
There is quite a divide between students when it comes to who should dominate the last 30 minutes before check–some are upset with the addition of spike ball, and others believe it brings something new and exciting to the atmosphere.
Landon Jiminez ‘25 expressed the idea of a compromise. “I don’t think it’s bad, but I also feel that we need normal Happy. Maybe we can make a deal–three days a week, 1-2 nets. But 4-5 nets every single day… it’s just kind of ruining Happy for years to come and the years to follow.”
After a minute, he added, “We’re losing our tradition as the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics!”
Ethan Burkett ‘25 agreed. “You don’t get to hear about the daily shenanigans, and you miss out on the socialization and familial ties of Happy Half.”
What happens if spike ball suddenly dies out? Will Happy Half continue on the Royall Lawn? Traditions are important to students at NCSSM–it’s what makes the two years we spend together memorable. However, who says that traditions can’t change? Maybe it’s time for the classes of 2025 and 2026 to add their own traditions to the mix.
At almost any other library, one would imagine the academic environment as a reserved intellectual harbor, a collective haven for students to hone in on their work and reach an optimal state of focus. In nearly every other circumstance, libraries are equated to silent reservoirs of studying, enforced by a constant need to keep one’s voice down. From the moment one usually walks through the door comes a shift in the atmosphere, of conversations softening, the mind preparing to sharpen for the day’s load of assignments. However, at the Borden Mace Library, many NCSSM students experience quite the opposite phenomenon.
Especially at the beginning of the year, many members of the junior population have fallen victim to finding the school’s arguably loudest landscape, expecting to find a familiar space for concentration. Of all places, the scene at the Borden Mace library has ironically turned more social than studious. But how did this come to be?
Through a spatial perspective, the NCSSM website states how “the Learning Commons design of our Library creates a warm environment for interaction, inspiration, and creativity with spaces designed specifically for individuals and groups,” emphasizing the school’s importance for students to foster relationships with one another to academically succeed. The library has incorporated many openly-spaced design elements for groups of students to work together in, whether that be the multiple yellow study rooms built along the left wall of the space, or the many circular tables, some of which are embedded within the not-so-soundproof glass lounges. By incorporating friendly architectural designs to bring people together, Borden Mace has allowed positive community building to prosper–though, often with its downsides.
Because the library has majorly devoted the working space for groups of people, a lot of students are naturally inclined to hang out with their friends, leading to an avoidance of accomplishing the objective at hand: Their assignments. As one junior complains how “all of my friends are there and I can’t lock in…there’s no quiet rule”, the social restrictions of the library–or lack thereof, have allowed noise levels to get extremely high without consequences. This has contributed to the development of an unbounded gregarious workspace with little to no “work” getting done. One senior notes how “a library is a social place, not a study place”, highlighting the reality for many other students how the design features of Borden Mace have strayed far from its original purpose.
However, the bustling scene at the library is not inherently bad for those who need to finish their work. One student states, “The library is a place to socialize and interact, but it has areas where you can lock in, like the little cubbies at the sides and the quiet rooms”, showing how while much of the area has been mapped out for groups of people to collaborate (or socialize), there are still individualistic spaces for students to meaningfully their work–one just has to make sure to not overlook them, and create real action in finding a spot with less social distractions.
While strife with socialization with its people-friendly architectural features, the Borden Mace Library has not necessarily become a doomed place for studying. The flexible grounds for academic collaboration do not automatically lead to collective loss of concentration among students, but could instead allow the enhancement of it as long as one takes initiative in how to approach their work, and where to mark the line between studying and socializing.
After the grueling month that was September, while still trying to get back into the flow of neverending schoolwork, shining ahead like a golden prize was the promise of Fall Break.
This promise was gracefully fulfilled for some students of NCSSM but for others was nothing but a cruel joke in the wake of Hurricane Helene. Normally, students would fill out the fall break form, clicking the Asheville bus as their mode of transportation or would return home by getting picked up, a long commute looming overhead regardless.
On Thursday, September 26, as the hurricane steadily approached, students with homes in Western North Carolina were restless to see the effects left behind as we huddled in the Greynolds tunnel, feeling the weight of the continuous tornado warnings.
At this point, the Asheville bus was pushed back from Thursday afternoon to Friday morning because of uncertain dangerous road conditions. At this point my peers and I were overall disappointed, but grateful we still had the chance to leave. Many opted for the optimistic point of view where we got to stay overnight at our empty school, seeing it as a challenge rather than a letdown. However, this quickly shifted to the latter as the bus was delayed even further to Friday afternoon.
Many, including myself, began echoing the question, “Will we even make it back?” At this point, numerous students were not able to get into contact with their families and friends back home, unable to update them on the bus’ wavering plans of departure.
We were left behind and in the dark. Time stretched by slowly as we were on edge, unsure of our family and friends’ safety, and bound to the school’s premises which disallowed us from leaving.
For seniors, the option of college applications was available to kill time. For juniors, it was late work that needed to be completed. However, this proved to be useless as all attention and concentration was on our communities nestled in the Appalachian mountains.
According to Bella Rizzuto ’26: “Everything was up in the air. I didn’t know if my family or house was okay, at this point I hadn’t been able to get into contact with them for over a day.” Similar sentiments were echoed by the remaining students left at school.
Despite the situation, the CCs and faculty came together to try and make the best out of the very apparent, bad situation. The boxed lunches and breakfasts turned into outings to get pizza at Costco and a group trip to Chancellor Todd Roberts’ hospitable home. Despite NCSSM staff being flexible and understanding, the students were still frustrated as the new update regarding the bus departing time pinged on our phones. We are unsure of when the bus will be able to depart.
Slowly, as news filtered out of the mountains we were greeted with stories of flooding, collapsed bridges, and fallen trees on buildings.
From the fifteen students delayed, it turned to twelve and later dwindled to three left, spending the entire fall break on campus, unable to return home.
While many seniors are thinking of college admission, many juniors are thinking of a different type of admission: the one for research. A common question asked is should one do RSci or Research in the Humanities (RHum)? The answer is why not both, and furthermore, why not RHum?
Earlier this year, Teresa Fang ‘25 wrote an astonishing article where she emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary academics and practice. This couldn’t be more true; the limits of research are never confined to just one field.
If one wishes to be an effective academic, one should be well versed in all their curiosity–including ones that are not traditionally considered “useful”, which is in quotes as when one says not useful they usually mean not profitable. As Fang points out, the tools humanities arm you with go beyond your humanities research and into effectively communicating, critically thinking and questioning. So, then why not research the humanities?
The common answer to this is that it’s not “useful,” but useful is not used in the sense of profit but of leverage. So here’s a sense of truth: a college will not accept you purely because you are in impressive, STEM focused academic programs.
You can do a hundred RSci programs, and still not be what they are looking for. They are looking for your curiosity. What sparks it and do you follow it? If a humanities question sparks you, follow it, and even if you have no specific question let your interest as a human lead you. The follow-through of something that captivates you, is way more impressive than something you did to put on your resume. RHum is designed to captivate and explore captivation.
Additionally, humanities research goes beyond the capabilities of science research. Certainly, there are some questions that are furthered by science, but Humanities doesn’t serve as an add-on to pick up where STEM drops off, it goes where STEM cannot. Humanities concerns itself with questions not necessarily bound by the same restrictions as STEM, not to say that humanities doesn’t come with its own complex restrictions. You are bound by human thought, records, and where you can take yourself. We can take the work of STEM and apply it, as questions of AI usage, or we can take it outside of the science sphere and expand.
Make no mistake, however, I am not arguing against the RSci programs; I do hobbyist research in math and believe that you should go where curiosity leads you. I am arguing for your serious consideration of all Research in the Humanities programs, despite the doubts rebuked above. It is an experience that strengthens the heart and skills of a researcher, and if not that is sure is a lot of fun.
Here are some of the research opportunities in the Humanities!
Research Experience in the Humanities, (REXHum)
Available to all students who have completed AmStud I, this course serves as the introduction to humanities research for all who are interested, even if you have conducted research in the past. Students learn the basic skills of research, and produce a thesis. This course is available to juniors and seniors and is a choice for a prerequisite of RHum.
Summer Research in the Humanities, (SRIPHum)This program introduces students to research inside and outside of archives, libraries, and the world. A three-week program during the summer, students get the opportunity to travel to diverse museums and research a question of their choice. The student will produce an abstract, that they will get to present to a group of peers, and at the SRIP Showcase. This is a summer experience offered to juniors via application, and can also serve as a prerequisite for RHum alternatively to REXHum.
Research in the Humanities (RHum)
This is a course taught in the fall semester surrounding your research. The course aims to encourage students to enhance their reading and writing skills while expanding their knowledge in general topics and their research questions of choice. Students will produce a full research paper and will have the chance to be published in Fifth World, the student humanities research journal of NCSSM. This course is only for seniors who have met the RHum requirements.
Luckily, for both juniors and seniors, there is still time to apply and do research! I do hope that you consider, apply, and pursue any curiosity of the humanities; it is a worthy pursuit.
Students volunteer with staff at the NCSSM Mailroom. (Denise Burgette)
By Teresa Fang, Stentorian Editor-in-Chief
Service Learning coordinator Sue Anne Lewis and Mailroom staff organize a successful Western NC Supply Drive, thanks to students who have donated and volunteered to pack supplies and teachers including Ms. Gabriela Stefan who took shifts supervising the truck.
The truck, a 40-foot long container on wheels, was driven to Western North Carolina by Director of Residential Education and Housing Michael Newbauer on Friday morning. This supply drive was born out of a way for NCSSM to “support our community and neighbors in need” and “send as many supplies as possible to Western NC,” Lewis wrote in a October 2 email.
From October 2-12, items were donated to the drive via dropping them off directly at the truck in the Bryan parking lot or shipped as packages directly to the Mailroom. More than 120 students signed up to help pack those items in cardboard boxes, labeled, then carried to the truck, contributing more than 400 total hours.
“We repacked them to make sure baby bottles, baby formula, and the like, all went in a box and we labeled it. Batteries, first-aid kids, medicine, feminine products, stuff like that.” said Mailroom Manager Denise Burgette. “We had a lot of those. So we just took them all. The students that came over were just totally amazing.”
During our chat, she gave me a tour of the Mailroom storage, where she showed me a box of white shipping labels ripped off from packages. She says that Lewis plans to have some students write thank you notes to the senders.
“Within two hours, we had 372 Amazon packages.” Burgette said, describing the scene in the Mailroom on October 14. “They couldn’t fit on the shelf so we had them lined up on the dock, and there were extra tables for the students to work, breaking down packages and everything.”
In addition to just holding the supply drive, NCSSM partnered with local Durham business Lee’s 24-Hour Towing to bring a “Stuff the Truck” semitrailer at the parking lot at Club Boulevard and Broad Street. Students were also encouraged to sign a large “NCSSM <3 Western NC” poster in the Bryan lobby and share images on social media promoting the supply drives.
At the conclusion of an all-employee professional development session at NCSSM-Durham last month, members of the administration unveiled news that 5th Bryan was ready for employees to move in. They reportedly chanted “we are a community” louder and louder until complaining faculty members grew tired of objecting.
“So that’s why we bought that custom-made circular conference table?” a confused but increasingly aware employee, Joseph “Sharp” El Bows, observed. “Anyways, good riddance, because I always hated not being able to stare at everybody’s faces equally across the old square table. Oh, and I guess I’m excited to live rent-free.”
The move will be effective over Fall Break, while students “don’t have the chance to mess stuff up” and faculty members can move in “without a hitch,” aided by all available residential staff. This will be overseen by Dean of Students Patricia Punctly, who volunteered for the position. “Rain or shine, I’ll be there. This is a great opportunity to demonstrate that the NCSSM comm-UNI-ty has immense compassion for our students going above and beyond the scope of the classroom!” she declared, chuckling at her own wordplay.
Additionally, the 28 rooms on 5th Bryan will all be triples; an idea created by the new Director of Community Building, Wallopy Jones.
“I love that we’re finally seeing eye-to-eye with each other through the thick and thin,” said Jones. “In my past job, we didn’t get to live on school campus. We were always bored on the weekend! That’s why I quit.”
Other employees share Jones’ excitement, including Community Coordinator Mary Ramsbottom, who has been at NCSSM since 1994 and was ecstatic to live closer to her teacher friends but slightly disheartened to hear she wasn’t able to room with them. Wondering why she couldn’t invoke the “Seniority Privilege,” she was quickly shut down by the administration.
“I don’t need to share a room though, I’ve got mine right here,” Chancellor Tom Hawkins said, motioning to a hidden door on the far wall of his office, revealing a closet full of colorful sleeping bags fitting every holiday from Christmas to Tax Day. “I’m literally the chancellor of this place.”
While this move is certainly novel in a variety of ways, the consensus among faculty is overwhelmingly positive due to the convenience of residential living and the opportunity to see the relaxed side of their students.
“Sweet! In all my years at Science and Math, I’ve always wanted to work on the weekends and see what my students are really like–like, what they’re really like,” said counselor Chitan Lee. “I hate seeing my seniors through grades on their transcripts. Now that’s saying something.”
But despite the excitement of the administration, it was noted that during the professional development meeting, a fifth of the table stared at their fumbling hands in worry while imagining their work-life balance torn apart. Reporters were about to ask them for interviews before the loud chanting started and all forms of media was pushed out of the room.
From left to right: RBio students Rishi Saroya ’25, Yvonne Shih ’25, Saachi Arun ’25, Ava Cummings ’25, and Anneliese Heyder ’25. Anneliese Heyder
By Anneliese Heyder, Stentorian Editor-in-Chief
For the Research in Science (“RSci”) students, the last day of the Summer Research and Innovation Program (SRIP) has arrived. Students can be seen hanging up their lab coats, cleaning their goggles, and wiping down their workspaces where they’ve spent most of their days. Lab notebooks are out, students hunched over them while furiously scribbling final comments, details, and any data they’ve managed to collect in the last few hours before they head home.
For students in the Mentorship program, the last day isn’t for two more weeks.
SRIP, NCSSM’s flagship 3-5 week program provides students with one essential component to their research: time. During this period, students are allowed the time–from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day–to dive into their projects.
Once that clock hits 5 o’clock though, students are allowed to spend their free time however they wish: maybe walking down Ninth St. for dinner, going to the movie theatre at The Streets at Southpoint, or playing a game of badminton in the ETC courtyard. On the weekends, students can sign up for numerous events: a trip to Falls Lake, Target, or take the bus to the farmer’s markets in downtown Durham.
SRIP is comprised of multiple research groups and opportunities. You have the RScis (RBio, RPhys, and RChem) and RHum, RCompSci, REXCompSci, and Entreprenuership, which all occur here on the Durham campus. Mentorship, on the other hand, requires traveling to other colleges or universities and doing research in their labs. Both options have unique opportunities and experiences, allowing you to explore your curiosity and strengthen your research skills.
Erin Bienstock ‘25, recounts her daily SRIP routine at the Durham campus.“Students would leave school at 8 [a.m.] and since my mentor is at [North Carolina State University], I would get to the lab a little before 9 a.m.” Bienstock said. “My schedule was different every day but I spent a lot of time making new fabric designs in [Computer-aided design (CAD), 3D-printing the designs, and testing them in the wet lab. I also researched companies to get quotes for new products we could experiment with.” She would finish her work by 4 p.m. and return to school by 5 p.m.
RSci days were similar: they were long days in the lab, with students bustling around as they focused on their goals for the day.
Jonathan Charleston ‘25 recalls the busy days in the lab during RBio, including “morning sessions,” which involved a group discussion of goals for the day and “Starting out we had our morning sessions which involved getting started for the day, any protocols we need to look over. Then we had our after-lunch sessions, where we did the bulk of our work.” he said, adding that each day was “about 8 hours.”
Each research project is different; each student has their own goals, deadlines, and struggles. Bienstock’s research is funded by NASA; she explains how she’s formed great connections with other students in the lab. Charleston is focusing onmaking prostate cancer testing more accurate and accessible by using a paper-based assay. These two projects are vastly different, but they allow both students to satiate their curiosity and develop their skills.
While everyone is working independently, SRIP allows the bonds between students to grow and evolve. Old friendships are strengthened and new ones are born. SRIP offers a collaborative environment, where students and mentors can offer their insight, opinions, and help to each other to see everyone succeed.
Bienstock reiterates this by adding, “This has made it easier for me to speak up and contribute my own ideas to the project.”
When I asked her about advice for juniors applying to the program she said, “I would tell anyone applying to Mentorship to read research on the subject you think you want to find a mentor in. This will give you a good idea of what your experience might look like and you can write your essays about the papers that really inspired you.”
“I loved how personalized [research] is.” Charleston said. “My project is very personal to me, and being able to tailor it to exactly what I want to do is probably my favorite part.”
RChem students Nihar Kummetha ‘25, Matt Czar ‘25, and June Brewer ‘25. Luke Malta.
By Noah Fine, Stentorian Staff Writer
Research in Science (“RSci”) applications are on the horizon for juniors at NCSSM. What exactly are the RSci programs? Which one is right for you? What will you get out of the student research programs at NCSSM? What other research opportunities are there?
When people talk about RSci, they’re talking about four year-long courses: Research in Chemistry (“RChem”), Research in Biology (“RBio”), Research in Physics (“RPhys”), and Research in Computational Science (“RComp” or “RCompSci”). In addition, NCSSM also hosts Research in Mathematics (“RMath”). What sets these courses apart from other research opportunities?
Research starts during RSci students’ J-Term and continues through the spring semester into the Summer Research and Innovation Program (SRIP), and concludes in the fall semester of senior year. In addition, RChem, RBio, and RPhys (but not RComp) are double-blocked, which means that student researchers will be working on independent research during both F and G blocks. Double-blocking allows students the opportunity to dive into their research questions for twice as much time as in a normal class, in addition to SRIP, which is equivalent to a few months of normal class time. However, this also means that choosing to take an RSci is a large time commitment.
“Why would you want to spend hours and hours on an investigation if you aren’t enjoying it?” asked RPhys instructor Dr. Jonathan Bennett, who will be passing on the RPhys teaching position to Dr. Michael Falvo at the end of 2024.
However, RSci also gives students the opportunity to learn how to adapt when things don’t go their way the first time. “Usually there’s a point where students have had to deal with disappointment,” reflected RChem instructor Dr. Tim Anglin. “But they push through, and there’s always that time they bring me something and they’re like, ‘it worked!’”
Research in Biology (“RBio”)
In RBio, students will learn the ins and outs of research with model organisms. During J-Term RBio students spend between two and four weeks conducting a mini research project, setting a strong foundation for the skills they’ll need during the rest of the year: group work, wet bench techniques, and presenting their work, according to Dr. Kim Monahan, who teaches RBio alongside Dr. Heather Mallory.
After J-Term, RBio students begin to research questions that can be answered by studying a model organism. For example, a previous student researched multiple sclerosis by studying earthworms.
Organism choice is restricted by cost and regulations: E. coli could be a great choice, but A. mississippiensis, the American alligator, would not. Other popular organisms include C. elegans, plants, and embryonic zebrafish. Learning how to work with a student’s selected model organism—and how to adapt when their model organism produces unexpected results—is one of the core focuses of the RBio experience. Popular areas of study include neurodegenerative disease, genetic engineering, and more.
To an outside observer, RBio may feel like one big family of researchers. Dr. Monahan acknowledges that team building is “something me and [Dr.] Mallory work very hard on.” She says that learning how to communicate with peers, teachers, and those from other RSci programs is one of the most valuable experiences for an RBio student. Those science communication skills will come in handy during the spring when RBio students prepare an oral project defense, and in the late fall, when students are encouraged to submit their work to research symposiums and competitions.
Research in Chemistry (“RChem”)
RChem students solve problems using the language of atoms, molecules, and proteins. No prior chemistry lab experience is required, so RChem students spend the first two weeks of J-Term building a foundation of basic laboratory techniques, such as pipetting, as they work on a shared short-term research project. During the spring, students explore possible research questions and plan out experiments in preparation for project defenses in early April. For the remainder of the year, students work to synthesize and test chemical products.
In the past, students have enjoyed exploring environmental chemistry, polymer chemistry, and drug design. However, projects that involve research with primate cell lines or potentially dangerous chemicals may not be feasible. Finding creative ways to address problems while working around these limitations is at the heart of RChem problem-solving. The two RChem classes, taught by Anglin and Dr. Michael Bruno, work separately most days. However, there are always opportunities for collaboration between students, even those outside of RChem. In fact, Anglin says that he particularly enjoys projects that sit at the periphery of chemistry, as they allow him to collaborate with the other RSci programs.
Research in Physics (“RPhys”)
According to Dr. Bennett, each RPhys project is completely unique in terms of both research questions and techniques. Previous research topics include computationally modeling turbulent flow, building miniature ion thrusters, and a variety of quantum computing projects. Since it would be impractical to teach such a wide variety of research techniques, he explained that instruction throughout the year focuses on building the skills necessary to become a competent researcher.
Students focus on dissecting and evaluating scientific papers during J-Term, preparing them to develop a research question and write a proposal during spring semester. RPhys students then run experiments during SRIP and share their research through a poster and research paper in the fall. Students then have the opportunity to present at a professional physics conference and submit their research to symposiums and competitions. Dr. Bennett emphasizes building these skills in the hope that they will empower RPhys students even after leaving NCSSM.
Dr. Bennett highly encouraged applicants for the class of ‘26 to attend the upcoming interest meeting. “Go to that meeting, get the information, ask your question, and listen carefully to the instructors,” he said, and advised applicants to “be you, but do your homework, so you’ll be more informed [about what RPhys has to offer].”
Research In Computational Science (“RComp” or “RCompSci”)
RComp allows students the most freedom of the four RSci programs because any question that can be answered with computational methods is fair game. Past RComp projects have included facial recognition software for horses, automated dating of Egyptian hieroglyphic text, and analysis of fourth-down plays in football games.
RComp is currently taught by Mr. Bob Gotwals, who will be passing on the position to a new faculty member at the end of 2024. Dr. Daniel Egger, a professor from Duke University, is currently undergoing training to teach RComp starting in 2025.
Mr. Gotwals, who has led NCSSM’s Computational Science Department since 2006, warns that Research in Computational Science is not Research in Computer Science. For example, Mr. Gotwals advises students not to come in with the goal of learning Python code, but rather to think of Python code as a tool used to model whatever interests them.
In contrast to the other RSci programs, RComp has no traditional benchwork component. All experiments are run computationally, which means that students conduct research using either their personal computers or the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center’s supercomputer. Also unique among the RSci programs, RComp students have the opportunity to find a mentor in the field they’re researching, who can help them understand their problem from the perspective of a researcher in the field.
Research in Mathematics (“RMath”)
RMath is a single-semester, spring course. An application to RMath during the school year does not come bundled with an application to RMath during SRIP—they are separate classes, taught by different teachers. This means that spring RMath applications are open to both juniors and seniors.
In contrast to RSci programs, where students start by developing their own research questions, RMath students begin their research by choosing a problem from The American Mathematical Monthly (AMM), a prestigious peer-reviewed math journal. Problems from AMM have only been solved once before, by the researchers who originally proposed them. Next, RMath students work in small groups to find a solution and publish their results. Particularly inventive or elegant solutions may even earn publication in a later issue of AMM.
RMath students learn how to format and typeset papers in LaTeX (a software for typesetting documents), present their findings to others, and conduct research in pure mathematics. Popular areas of research include combinatorics, game theory, and advanced calculus, but projects modeling real-life scenarios are not the focus.
“This is RMath, not RAppliedMath,” says Dr. Michael Lavigne, who will teach RMath during SRIP 2025.
RBio student Henry Hanson ‘25 observes plates through a microscope. Vincent Shen.
Advice & Next Steps For Applying
Now you’re interested in STEM research at NCSSM-Durham. What are the next steps? Attend the Research and Innovation fair and interest meetings, and then reach out to the teachers of the classes you’re interested in! Dr. Monahan says that RSci teachers are “always open if you have a question,” and Dr. Lavigne has free copies of past RMath papers on his door for interested students.
Most applications will ask you to submit some sort of project idea. Don’t take this as something that’s set in stone, instead try your best to think of something that’s realistic and you would enjoy spending a whole year learning about. Seniors who are currently in RSci are a great resource for this. Don’t be scared of applying, especially if you think that your project ideas aren’t good enough for the programs that you’re interested in.
On the other hand, don’t try to change your interests just for an application or to cater to what you think the RSci teachers want. “Students shouldn’t be thinking about how they can serve the class, it’s the other way around,” says Dr. Anglin. Think of ideas that excite you, and RSci will meet you halfway.
Finally, Mr. Gotwals emphasizes that RSci and RMath are amazing opportunities for student research, but that it’s important to remember they’re not the only opportunities. Mentorship, Research/Research Experience in Humanities (“RHum” and “RexHum” respectively), J-Term Courses Research Experience in Chemistry and Research Experience in Biology, and the multitude of SRIP programs offered each year provide opportunities to conduct research in an entirely different way, with the option of freeing up space in your schedule to take more classes that interest you.
Research-intensive classes, labeled with “*R*” in the course catalog, are also an opportunity to learn valuable techniques used by scientists in the field through a significant research project.
If you are willing to accept the challenge, NCSSM has a research opportunity for you.
A viewer visiting the school website at ncssm.edu can immediately see the huge words, “Igniting innovation, cultivating community.” Inspiring words, but what does this really mean?
Initially, I did not plan on writing about the ncssm.edu website at all, considering it was redesigned between November 2021 and October 2023, according to webmaster Will Mack. Not to mention mixed concerns about the student newspaper giving any form of criticism to the school that governs it and has the power to shut us down. Yet, as a senior, with the student body gaining a larger digital presence, it’s time to take a stand.
The ncssm.edu website is the epitome of selective attention in representing a student body. Like the illusion of validity in politics, what is visible is superficial: there are very few families and applicants who wouldn’t like to be a part of the residential, online, or summer programs that NCSSM prides itself on in every marketing and outreach campaign. The reputation this selective marketing builds is outdated and reductive to the school’s current and prospective students.
Mack wrote that the website redesign was a two-year effort that “collected feedback from students, parents, faculty, and staff…to make it easy for new folks to understand what the school is, what its programs are, and which might be right for them.” But it’s hard to see what the school offers beyond research programs and how prospective funders can donate.
“Yes, we want to prospective students to check out the website, and for parents, donors. But there’s nothing really about the students,” said Chidera Ezenwenyi ‘25. “There’s a residential program. There’s online. There’s summer. But no actual student activities. It doesn’t showcase anything that we do.”
When you dig even a little bit deeper, it’s clear that the school administration’s idea of a good website is a good advertisement to expand, not to intensify–even if it means leaving voices from its employees and students behind.
If you’ve taken a look at the walls of Bryan lobby at all, the website’s tendency to wrap the school in vague and flowery language would not come as a surprise, but nonetheless a disappointment. As they claim to help “talented students find their niche and realize their potential,” they lag significantly behind in showcasing what niche and potential. While they say they promote a “highly talented, committed, and diverse workforce,” the supporting data is always behind a “coming soon” label or none at all, and they expect employees to make personal sacrifices out of compassion and loyalty to the school.
Even when they try to provide a window into what accomplishments or projects that students are working on, the news that are provided to the public are narrowly filtered into three types: the first or last day of school, retirees, and national/international recognitions. Everything we see in words seems prideful and great, but the coverage thoroughly undermines what else students can do once they come to NCSSM.
“Igniting innovation, cultivating community”
Now, I’m not an opponent of innovation and community. I love trying new things and socializing with people as much as anyone who lives under the sun. But the fact is that bragging about what we’re already the best at does nothing to innovate or grow the external–or even internal–community’s perceptions of NCSSM.
According to their website, third on NCSSM’s Strategic Plan 2024-2030 is to use an equity-oriented approach to meet student success and wellness needs, by implementing new and expanding existing programs that increase “faculty, staff, and student intercultural competence and humility” and give an avenue for students “to provide and receive feedback about their academic experiences.” While this is a valid objective for a diverse school, the first priority should be mitigating the causes of student dissatisfaction and troubles, whether that be academically or emotionally. Otherwise, they will just be plugging one hole while digging a wider one right next to it.
Once a student is accepted into the school, they tend to not visit the website at all, as Ezenwenyi and his parents never did. “I feel like everything is in Blackbaud, I’ve never had to go to this website for anything, which, in contrast to my old school, I definitely used the school website a lot,” he said.
At times, ncssm.edu’s lack of coverage speaks just as much as their coverage. We know that if something or someone is repeatedly covered in media, then they must be important to that media. It is telling when NCSSM’s idea of innovation and community, usually in the form of news coverage by communications specialist Brian Faircloth, barely even encompasses anything other than achievements in math and science.
Using the website’s search feature, we can see there are six mentions of Christina Koch ‘97, four of which are feature stories, and three of which contain primary-source quotes from her. Searching Rhiannon Giddens ‘95–Grammy Award-winning musician, MacArthur recipient, and Pulitzer Prize winner on vocals, fiddle, banjo, and viola–yields three stories, all of which are of recognitions to accolades.
In none was she directly interviewed by an NCSSM affiliate; all her remarks were outsourced from other mainstream media or her social media accounts. Prior to RexHum class, I didn’t even know Giddens was an alumnus, nonetheless that she was the banjo player in Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold ‘Em.” The selective perception is complicit even in searches of George Cheng ‘24, dubbed “STEM powerhouse,” who has three in-depth feature stories with interviews.
Regardless, if we are truly trying to build an innovative community encouraging students to think outside the box, we cannot continue to be an advertisement for the same old elite STEM education. If prospective students come to NCSSM only knowing the names of fancy-sounding courses and faulty links to Google Documents, then they will not be able to grasp what a vibrant community this campus really holds.
Students’ Definition of Student Culture
The team who worked on the website was comprised of the NCSSM Communications Team, ITS, External Relations, NCSSM-Morganton Administration, and the Communications Council, which is a representative committee of all departments at NCSSM. When asked if the purpose of a high school website should be promotional or as a window into current student life, Mack said they were “deliberate at making the primary purpose of our outwardly facing website to be introducing new people to NCSSM and all it offers.”
While it is understandable that NCSSM is an unusual school, it’s surprising to hear the team’s interpretation of “student life”: “Of course, a very important part of making that appealing for them is showing them glimpses of current students’ experiences, so we do seek to offer a window into current student life in all of the programs from Residential to Step Up to STEM to Summer Ventures to NCSSM Online and more.” Is that what students would expect to represent their everyday experience as a NCSSM student?
Taylor Eason ‘25 described what good qualities of a school website should look like, pinpointing the outdated news articles. “Honestly, being frequently updated to showcase what’s been going on in the clubs.” she said. “We have news about meeting the students, but [for example] in ‘NCSSM lets students craft tailor-made science research experiences,’ that student graduated two years ago.”
Eireann Marcus ‘25 added that the last quote from any student on the website was from 2023. “We don’t know who they are, and the pictures don’t help,” Marcus said.
What we need for a closer-to-true representation of NCSSM student culture is frequently updated information on ncssm.edu. Nevermind that we have 150+ student-run clubs and organizations across the two campuses; if the current website has a page for student publications, then we should continue to update all student publications whenever one is released, or ensure there are resources available to direct site viewers to the domains that students directly control. In the first place, student publications are supposed to be a representative showcase of students’ work and stories, and it’s advantageous for NCSSM to have four school-sponsored ones (Broad Street Scientific, Blue Mirror, Fifth World, and The Stentorian).
Ezenwenyi also thought of ideas. “I think the good qualities of a website are resources for the school students, and maybe some stuff for some parents. Having an interactive slide with photos of events that we do could also help,” he added.
Promoting the school, from an admissions and funding perspective, is inextricably tied to widening the outlet for student expression. Sure, this is an idea that might have complications that give a fraction of more work to the administration or webmasters to do and might seem like a wild risk to take for both publications and the school as a public institution, but that’s what igniting innovation means.
Letting Down Our Reputation As The #2 Best Public High School in America
I won’t argue that the website does have aesthetic appeal, and some functionalities are quite convenient. I like how each block looks different. I like our colors. I like the resources of the library. I like the ticking numbers that show our impact metrics. However, the vagueness of what students are doing to achieve those metrics graciously permits us to examine closely some of our school’s opinions and poll results on the Internet, since they’re not available on ncssm.edu.
NCSSM brags about their influence (do we not?); Institutional Effectiveness reports our total enrollment, including residential, online, and Connect students, represented 94 out of 100 North Carolina counties last year. NCSSM is ranked number one in Best College Prep Public High Schools in America and number two in Best Public High Schools in America. Well, let’s take a step back. Are we satisfied with where we are now? For instance, while the average graduation rate is 99 percent, the average SAT and ACT scores are 1440 and 33 respectively.
Is this all the “elite, academic reputation” that the NCSSM administration, the Board of Governors, the Board of Trustees, alumni, families, and donors want to see? The website certainly doesn’t live up to the standards the school has touted. It’s almost as if we, the students, aren’t solely academic machines but real people with breathing backgrounds and multiple disciplines to devote our bodies and minds. The same goes for faculty.
“There’s a navigation bar but it’s about residential, online, summer, and admissions, but NCSSM is so much more than those things,” Eason said. “How are you supposed to promote it if you don’t know anything about what it’s like to actually be here?”
Unless a student is one of the lucky chosen few who get a story done by Faircloth, students come and go without leaving a trace of their impact. Only if we are lucky enough to have access to social media, we can see the memorabilia of posts and past officers of clubs and organizations. Only if we are lucky enough to be permitted, tech-savvy to create a digital archive, or insistent enough to see real-life proof, we can access records of past students’ work, and likewise be inspired by their stories of struggle then success.
Is all of this the special legacy students want to take away from their two years at NCSSM?
If NCSSM’s website continue to be selective of our school’s student culture and life, we will forever be running on a hamster wheel of vague goals, blatant inappreciation, and laziness. We will constantly be asking ourselves the same question: where do I see myself in my “elite” school? Yet, the answer will always remain the same: we don’t.
With the rapid rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) usage, it seems as if it is on track to become a central part of how we live. The things that AI has been able to generate have ranged from answers to simple problems to realistic images and videos–proving itself to be a rather effective and engaging tool. However, many schools have begun to ban the use of AI in all schoolwork.
In my opinion, I believe that banning AI usage in schools is extremely counterproductive. It has been proven time and time again that simply banning something will not stop the problem, so how do we fix it? Simple! You remove the notion that AI is the problem altogether.
By vilifying AI usage in the school system, we restrict the possibilities that it could bring to education. When students are having issues comprehending a topic, they can ask for a breakdown of it and ask for practice questions. Not only can this tool build understanding, but it can also act as a good starting point for large projects with the finding of sources surrounding their topic or for brainstorming topics themselves.
With that being said, AI is not always the best for everything: it can make mistakes, give misinformation, or just be unable to help you with what you need. Even though AI itself is evolving and getting better, it does not prevent itself from making errors that need to be taken into account. Considering this, we also need to discuss the restrictions that need to be put into place to prevent students from abusing this tool. Requiring students to report their AI usage and/or the prompts they used may restrict students from using the system to cheat or plagiarize.
Although this will not remove the chance that students will cheat, it will allow for transparency between the teacher and student on the use of AI and let students see the benefits of AI for themselves as it is reflected in their schoolwork. To further combat the usage of AI to cheat, there have been websites and other AI tools that can check for AI usage. Taking the pros and the cons into account, I still firmly believe that despite the possible misuse or errors the program may bring, the use of AI is something that can benefit students if used correctly and responsibly.
