Dearborn Students Stand Out at Youth Summit

  Four students from the Dearborn Center for Mathematics, Science & Technology, (DCMST) a high school magnet program in the Dearborn Public School district, spent last spring and summer researching how to reduce greenhouse gases in Michigan. Their work was part of a Youth Policy Summit sponsored by The Keystone Center and open to all high schools in Michigan. The goal of the summit is to advance critical thinking and problem solving skills in our leaders of the future.
  The four DCMST students went to Western Michigan University along with students from six other Michigan high schools. Each student was given a stakeholder role and had to stay in that role during mediation meetings. The assignment was to draft a policy statement that reflects their research and their stakeholder. The project integrated not only a passion for science and the environment but connected science to economics and government policy.
  Senior Alaa Saab represented Fed Ex. She researched what Fed Ex is already doing to reduce CO2 emissions both with their buildings and their fleet. When the students discussed driving and building efficiencies she had to stay in role and make her Fed Ex voice heard. Not always an easy task when your personal views conflict with your role.
  “Being able to participate in this great experience allowed me to not only learn more about policymaking but to combine so many of my interests into a challenge that has made me think much more about the bigger picture and how I fit in,” commented Senior Kristin Patterson. 
  A link to the policy paper can be found here.