Valencia High School’s Dylan Beal prepares for a visit to Cornell University this summer.

[view:node_ad=5]Dylan Beal is really looking forward to this summer.  Like all high school students, he’s ready to have a good time and relax, but this summer will definitely be different from the rest.  

 

After conducting original research on climate change, Beal was awarded a scholarship to attend Cornell University’s College and Career Explorations Program.  But this isn’t the first time Beal has been recognized for his study of a global climate change.  Last summer, he was one of only 150 California high school students selected to participate in COSMOS (California State Summer School for Math & Science) at UC Davis.

 

After coming home from COSMOS, Beal was inspired to conduct an original research project on global climate change and its effect on the darkling beetle.  He put beetle larvae in various climate conditions and recorded each specimen's reaction to their environment.  He's come a long way since then, and come mid-July, Beal will be off to Cornell to further his education and conduct more research for his project. 

 

Beal said he's really looking forward to Cornell's summer program.  "My darkling beetle project was about combining my love for insects and my interest in climate change, which I want to study in college. And this summer I'm hoping to expand upon my research at Cornell's program." 

 

He’ll also be able to enjoy on and off campus exploration experiences, explore academic programs and resources, participate in team projects, visit labs and research facilities, write short papers, and discover what college courses and experiences will help him prepare for a career in his area of interest.

 

During the program, Beal chose to study the topic of “Anatomy of Global Climate Change”. Within this program, he received a grant from Intel towards developing and executing his own research project, “The Effect of Global Climate Change on a Darkling Beetle Population.”

 

As part of the grant, he submitted a research paper to the Southern California Regional Junior Science & Humanities Symposium and was one of 24 students chosen to present their work at this year’s symposium at UC Irvine.

 

Beal also said he had big plans for his future.  "For my career, I want to study insects' response to climate change and the effects it has on the beetles, and what kind of effect it has on people.  I really want to do something in science that will help people and ultimately help the world."