At the end of the program, he presented a research paper titled “Synthesis of Porphyrins for Charge Separation.”   The program ran from June 4 to July 7.

WSSP (www.wssptx.com) offers students across the state of Texas unique opportunities to emerge in the field of science engaging them in hands-on, college-level research projects using state-of-the-art equipment and modern technology not typically found in high-school classrooms.  Students selected for the WSSP are chosen on a competitive basis, evaluated by a selection committee made up of program coordinators at the participating university.  Among the factors considered for selection are the students’ SAT scores, their academic standing, leadership potential and teacher recommendations.

In addition to attending WSSP over the summer, Matthew was accepted at Brown University’s Pre-College Programs’ Summer@Brown. 

Summer@Brown offers courses that are designed for students looking to experience college-level academics on an Ivy League campus.  Matthew attended the course “Writing Seminar: Writing the Expository Essay” from July 10 to July 24. 

The writing course aims to help students achieve greater scholastic success through developing critical thinking skills, creating academic arguments, employing various writing techniques and incorporating sources.  It is designed to teach students how to introduce their voices into an academic conversation by teaching the skills necessary to successfully compose expository essays in response to provided prompts and course materials