An Inspiring Model

As students across the East End head back to school this week, the usual anticipation and jitters of a new academic year are in the air. But for more than 100 teenagers at East Hampton High School, a return to the classroom this fall carries something more: the momentum of groundbreaking scientific research that is already underway.

East Hampton’s science research program, led by Dr. Stephanie Forsberg and Dr. Paul Rabito, is the kind of initiative every public school should aspire to offer. Over the past several years, it brought students into the laboratories of Brookhaven National Laboratory and the University of Miami, and other institutions, offering them an authentic glimpse of life as a scientist. Students are not just studying science — they are doing science, in ways that could have real implications for the world, from studying beech leaf disease to investigating bacteria in hydroponic systems.

What sets this program apart is its rare combination of rigor and inspiration. Students spend their sophomore year finding a research focus and contacting mentors in the scientific community, then commit summers and countless hours to projects that earn them college credits and, more importantly, lasting skills and confidence. To hear a teenager describe time in a high-level research facility as “eye-opening” and “beyond exciting” is to realize that education, when done right, does not feel like drudgery — it feels like possibility.

This did not happen by accident. It required dedicated educators, strong support from the East Hampton School Board, and a willingness to treat high school students as capable of much more than rote memorization or standardized test prep. It also required persistence: Gaining access to Brookhaven’s labs took years of effort and a competitive proposal. That effort is now paying dividends, not only for students’ futures but for the community that benefits from their energy and curiosity.

At a time when we lament young people’s shrinking attention spans and the decline of interest in science, East Hampton’s program is a hopeful counterexample. Students here are not only gaining technical knowledge but are learning how to ask questions, collaborate with experts, and envision themselves in fields that urgently need fresh minds. Some will go on to careers in STEM, while others may take their research experience into different professions. Either way, the impact is profound. They will carry with them the belief that their ideas and work matter.

We should not take programs like this for granted. They rely on funding, on institutional support, and on teachers like Dr. Forsberg and Dr. Rabito who are willing to go above and beyond. But the rewards — for students, for the school and for society at large — are immeasurable.

East Hampton’s science research program is proof that high school can be a launching pad. It should serve as a model, and a challenge, for other districts: If you want to inspire students, give them real work worth doing.