Interview with Mr. Matthew Miller - high school special representative for AMJES
“ Some of my high school students demonstrated strong commitment and ability to execute a college-level research project successfully. However, most of them did not choose to publish in any form, which limited the dissemination of valuable information to the scientific community and the opportunity to showcase students’ great achievement to college admission officers.”
Mr. Matthew Miller
Engineering Teacher
Charlottesville High School
Mr. Matthew Miller is an Engineering teacher at Charlottesville High School. He is an experienced mechanical engineer with a demonstrated history of working in the chemicals industry. His graduate research at the University of Virginia focused on the effects of Child Restraint System parameters on pediatric injury during automotive collisions. In this interview, we dove deep into his insights and philosophy on high school teaching and student-driven research.
Q: Can you share your personal experience on your job?
A: The job as a high school teacher can be both very tiring and rewarding at the same time. The fact that most students signed up for my class actually wanted to be there and learn something is cheering. Their genuine interest in research and engineering empowers and encourages me to guide their research projects to my best ability.
Q: Do students do independent research in general at Charlottesville High School?
A: Absolutely! High school students can elect a year-long course of capstone projects and choose the topic they want to work on. However, the research is not completely independent. The capstone projects are guided by their teachers.
Q: Besides the traditional and fundamental courses, what courses are offered in Charlottesville High School that could help students identify their research interest?
A: Currently we offer various engineering courses, covering a wide range of topics including 3D printing, Circuitpython, Python, etc. As I mentioned, students also have the chance to do a year-long project to further pursue their interest. Independent study courses are also an option for students who have already identified a research interest.
Q: How do you describe the quality of their work? Could some students’ projects be comparable to college-level research projects?
A: Some of my rock star students demonstrated strong commitment and ability to execute a college-level research project successfully. The design and execution of these projects requires a lot of practical and analytical skills beyond high school level.
Q: How do you think such research benefits high school students? What skills do they build from the experience?
A: Students can build a solid amount of knowledge that will benefit them in succeeding in college and in their future jobs. Students learned through research to plan ahead, be well organized, be thoughtful and innovative. They also have the chance to polish their communication skills should they choose to disseminate the research in some form.
Q: Do you think high school research could give students advantages in college admission?
A: In general I think that students showing admission officers their ability to complete a college-level project under some guidance gives them the competitive edge. However, students must be able to showcase their work in some form so that others can understand the complexity and implication to be impressed. Some students prefer to write a paper or a technical report summarizing their effort while others prefer the form of a video or a presentation.
Q: Do these works generally get published in some way?
A: Ideally I would love to see these works published. However, most of the students’ work does not get published for two reasons. First, some students have not realized the importance of research communication and the power of disseminating their research. Some students need more training on scientific writing or writing in general. Others may spend a whole year doing the project but leave only a week to write up their work, which could lead to poorly written and formatted work. Second, students and even teachers are not aware of good publication outlets. Most academic journals do not accept college-level research articles, letting alone high school ones. Even the best executed high school papers can be considered lack of depth or innovation for publications at these prestigious journals.
Q: How important is publication in your opinion?
A: Throughout high school, there are numerous ways to showcase their passions and stand out to university admissions officers. One incredible way to demonstrate their interest in the intended area of study is to participate in or conduct college-level academic research and get their study published. Therefore, publication is more important than some students may consider.
Q: What are your expectations for the American Journal of Emerging Scholars (AMJES)?
A: I expect AMJES and their editorial board members to select outstanding student research for publication. The journal could provide an outlet for exceptional high school students to disseminate their work and facilitate the free flow of information. The journal could also provide an opportunity for students to showcase their work to college admission officers.
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