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Honors student can add researcher to resume

Tuesday, Oct 26, 2010
Kimberly Allen

Honors student Michael Myerson spent the summer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee as an intern in the Department of Energy Community College Institute.

Michael Myerson

When Seminole State College of Florida student Michael Myerson isn't in class or studying, he's in front of a screen playing video games. The self-described nerd loves computers. During the summer, Myerson explored his interest in technology as part of a highly competitive internship program at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee.

The honors student from Oviedo focused on computer programming and business intelligence research during the Department of Energy Community College Institute. The 10-week summer internship pays community college students to work on science or engineering and technology projects at a DOE National Laboratory.

Myerson, 20, created a website to transfer data from computer service tickets into graphs to make the information easier to read. In addition to the hands-on experience, Myerson says, working with the experts at Oak Ridge was one of the highlights of the program.

"A lot of them were about my age," he says. "I learned so much about computers. I worked long days, but it was exciting. I don’t mind hard work."

And Myerson's success at Seminole State has proved that. Before he started here, he says several people expressed doubts about his suitability for college. He was determined to prove them wrong.

In Fall 2006, he enrolled in the Adult High School at Seminole State, graduating magna cum laude in 2008. Now he's pursuing an A.A. degree and is part of the Art & Phyllis Grindle Honors Institute. He also participates in Army ROTC.

Myerson plans to major in computer science at UCF. He's interested in a career in military intelligence, which would allow him to use his ROTC training and his internship experience.

"Anytime I’m in front of a computer, I’m learning, and that’s fun for me," he says. "I'm proud of the work I’ve done."

The Art & Phyllis Grindle Honors Institute offers enrichment programs for academically talented students wishing to enhance their experience at Seminole State. For more information, please visit the Honors Institute online.