Fiona Pauli is one of 15 high school students accepted into UC Irvine’s prestigious Cosmos program, a month-long science camp. “It started in the year 2000 as a way for the state of California to entice the next generation of student leaders,” said Elizabeth Crook, UCI Cosmos director. Gifted students from across the state are invited to research labs at UC campuses. For Pauli, her interest in STEM started in kindergarten. [She and] Logan Gao are part of the sustainable aircraft systems group led by Assistant Professor Jacqueline Huynh.