When doctoral researchers from the nation’s leading applied sciences fellowship program step into a high school classroom, the distance between frontier research and student curiosity narrows. Questions sharpen, ideas spark, and advanced scientific concepts become tangible.
This was the vision for a collaboration between the Hertz Foundation and the Dos Pueblos Engineering Academy (DPEA) in Goleta, California.
Launched in 2023, the collaboration connected Hertz Fellows with students enrolled in one of California’s most innovative STEM academies. Together, the two organizations are creating opportunities that expose students to advanced research while strengthening Fellows’ ability to communicate complex ideas beyond academic settings.
The collaboration grew from connections between Hertz Fellow Lars Bildsten, Director of the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics at UC Santa Barbara and former DPEA board member, and DPEA leadership. Bildsten introduced Hertz staff to DPEA based on a shared commitment to fostering meaningful exchanges between PhD scientists and high school students. Initial conversations explored linking Fellow research to museum-style exhibits developed at DPEA, but the effort quickly expanded to direct engagement between Fellows and students.
“There is tremendous value in students engaging with Hertz Fellows to learn about the opportunities available as they pursue further education,” says Amir Abo-Shaeer, DPEA founder and director and MacArthur Fellow in Residence. That perspective reflects strong alignment between the two organizations, both of which emphasize curiosity, creativity, and the freedom to innovate.
For nearly 70 years, the Hertz Foundation has supported Fellows pursuing scientific and technological breakthroughs that address the most challenges facing the nation and the world. This collaboration supports that mission by giving Fellows opportunities to refine their science communication skills while offering students insight into research careers and fellowship pathways they might not otherwise encounter.
“There is tremendous value in students engaging with Hertz Fellows to learn about the opportunities available as they pursue further education.”
Amir Abo-Shaeer
Hertz Fellows have visited the DPEA campus to engage with senior students and faculty. Fellows participated in project briefings, offered guidance on technical challenges, and concluded the visit with a career panel focused on research pathways, identifying meaningful questions, and navigating undergraduate opportunities.
For students immersed in hands-on engineering projects, engaging directly with active researchers proved transformative.
“I really enjoyed visiting Dos Pueblos,” said Hertz Fellow Anjali Gurajapu. “The students have clearly learned a lot—and I enjoyed learning from them.” Such interactions help students envision themselves as future scientists and engineers while broadening their understanding of who belongs in those fields.
Building on the success of the site visit, the collaboration has expanded to include scientific discussions in which Hertz Fellows present research topics ranging from gravitational waves to viscoelasticity. In one session, Fellow Adele Payman proposed a design revision that resulted in a safer handheld prototype now used across DPEA classrooms, allowing students from kindergarten through high school to engage directly with advanced technology.
For the Fellows themselves, these presentations represent more than just outreach. “The fellowship experience is enhanced through these engagements,” reflects Derek Haseltine, describing how translating complex research for different audiences sharpens communication skills essential for any scientist’s career.
The collaboration has also attracted support from within the Hertz community. Hertz Fellow and DPEA alumna Nicole Schauser has become involved in supporting the effort, exemplifying the “pay-it-forward” ethos shared by both organizations. Fellow donor David Cannell has highlighted DPEA’s emphasis on creative, synthetic reasoning—an approach that encourages students to thrive through real-world problem solving.
As the collaboration continues to evolve, it offers a compelling model for how research communities can engage meaningfully with K–12 education. By connecting students with cutting-edge science and the people behind it, the Hertz Foundation and DPEA are helping future innovators see what’s possible—and imagine paths of their own.
About the Hertz Foundation
The Hertz Foundation is the nation’s preeminent nonprofit organization committed to advancing American scientific and technological leadership. For more than 60 years, it has stood as an unwavering pillar of independent support through the renowned Hertz Fellowship, cultivating a multidisciplinary network of innovators whose work has positively impacted millions of lives. Learn more at hertzfoundation.org.
