- An online research alternative for curious minds
- Pioneer’s answer to COVID-19’s academic disruptions
- Free to any interested, motivated high school student
For the first time ever, Pioneer is offering a free alternative to the rigorous Pioneer Research Program.
A huge increase in the number of applications for this year’s Pioneer summer term has made it clear that the various responses around the world to COVID-19, which have shut down virtually all in-person summer study options, have left many students unable to find the summer enrichment opportunities that would normally be available to them. But, as Director Matthew Jaskol says in his letter introducing this new program, “Students nearing college … can’t stop working towards their academic goals, and educators must guide them in spite of the hardships and difficulties the virus has imposed.”
Pioneer’s commitment to offering interested students the opportunity to cultivate their academic curiosity led to the development of a new kind of program. Pioneer’s academic panel dedicated more than three months constructing a new framework and developing interdisciplinary themes, such as “The age of plague: medicine, society, and epidemics, 1348 & beyond” and “The forces driving socio-cultural revolution.” This unique summer opportunity is open to all high school students looking to challenge themselves and pursue their academic passion in an engaging way.
An Adventure in Teamwork
Participants in POSS will work in teams of five to ten students with a school counselor or teacher as a project observer. Seasoned Pioneer faculty will offer workshops on a variety of topics. Some groups will participate in the live workshops, while others will use the recorded versions to guide their work on their own schedules. Using the workshops as a foundation, each group will design and complete its own cooperative study project, working as a team.
Pioneer is offering POSS as its own response to the challenge of this challenging time. POSS is designed to provide an enriching experience of study and teamwork to help prepare high school students for their college experience. While it is not the Pioneer Research Program, and will not be regarded as Pioneer work for college applications, POSS will provide an opportunity for students to acquire such valuable skills as time management and an understanding of the process of doing independent studies or academic research. And it is available, free, to any high school student around the world.
For more information, and to apply to be a POSS participant, use this link to our website: here.
POSS is completely independent from the Pioneer Research Program. Students who participate in POSS CANNOT list POSS as a Pioneer Research Program credit on their college applications because POSS students do not go through Pioneer’s admission system and their work is not scrutinized through Pioneer’s academic procedure and standards.
Doing research is commonplace.
