  The Pulsar Search Collaboratory (PSC) is a collaboration between the Green
Bank Observatory and West Virginia University, funded by the National Science
Foundation. The PSC program is currently expanding nationwide and engages high
school students, teachers, and undergraduate mentors in real-world research by
searching for pulsars in data collected with the 100-m Green Bank Telescope. In
the process, students learn about observational radio astronomy, radio
frequency interference, pulsar timing, and data analysis procedures. The
primary goals of the PSC are to stimulate student interest in Science,
Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) careers, to prepare teachers in
implementing authentic research with students by training them within a
professional scientific community, and to promote student use of information
technologies through online activities and workshops. In this paper, we provide
an overview of pulsar science and the data analysis students undertake, as well
as a general overview of the program. We then discuss evaluation data collected
from participants through a series of survey questions to determine if the
program's initial goals were met. The program had a positive impact on the
students according to multiple measures, in particular, on their understanding
of the nature of scientific inquiry and motivation to pursue STEM career paths.
