McLean, VA(August 5, 2019) – Jaehyun Lee, a senior at Seoul Science High School in Seoul, Republic of Korea, was chosen by his peers for the top honor—Rickoid of the Year—at the Center for Excellence in Education’s (CEE) 36th annual Research Science Institute (RSI). The award recognizes academic acumen, leadership and personal demeanor, and is named for the late Admiral H.G. Rickover, father of the nuclear Navy and a founder of CEE.
Mr. Lee was one of 82 top achieving U.S. high school and international scholars selected for RSI, an intensive, six-week summer program jointly sponsored by CEE and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). RSI gives students the opportunity to conduct original, cutting-edge Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) research in state-of-the-art university laboratories, hospitals and corporate research facilities in Boston and Cambridge, MA, at no cost to the students.
CEE President and founder Joann P. DiGennaro said that Mr. Lee is a model student who demonstrates qualities that others want to emulate,” said DiGennaro. “To be chosen as Rickoid of the Year is an honor that he should hold in high regard for the rest of his life.”
RSI is offered to competitively-selected top achieving students in STEM. Students are selected by CEE’s committee of professional educators and RSI alumni based on school records, personal essays, standardized test scores, teacher recommendations, research experience, potential for leadership, and honors and awards in math and science.
Mr. Lee now joins CEE’s 2,800 successful alumni with a STEM career retention rate of 80 percent. CEE alumni enjoy referral, networking and enrichment activities throughout their collegiate and professional careers.
The 2019 RSI summer program (June 23 to Aug. 3) consisted of one week of theoretical classroom work, followed by four-and-a-half weeks of high-level research under the mentorship of leading scientists, engineers, and researchersin the students’ respective areas of interest. In their final week, students demonstrated their research work through written academic papers and oral presentations to their peers and a panel of judges.
In addition to 52 U.S. high school rising seniors, 30 international students participated this summer from Bulgaria, Canada, China, India, Ireland Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Turkey.
About the Center for Excellence in Education
The Center for Excellence in Education was founded in 1983 by the late Admiral H.G. Rickover and Joann P. DiGennaro, President of the Center. The Center's mission is to nurture high school and university scholars to careers of excellence and leadership in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and to encourage collaboration between and among leaders in the global community. CEE’s programs include the Research Science Institute (RSI), the USA Biology Olympiad (USABO), and the Teacher Enrichment Program (TEP).
| Media Contacts: | Tom Flavell, CEE, (703) 448-9062 ext. 237 |
| Resources: | Joann DiGennaro, CEE President, (703) 448-9062 ext. 239 |
| Maite Ballestero, CEE Executive VP, (703) 448-9062 ext. 235 |
Related websites:
Center for Excellence in Education: https://www.cee.org
Research Science Institute:https://www.cee.org/research-science-institute