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ShareSummer programing to enable success in STEM
Thursday
1:10 pm – 1:35 pm PT / 2:10 pm – 2:35 pm MT / 3:10 pm – 3:35 pm CT / 4:10 pm – 4:35 pm ET
Online
Julia Nord, George Mason University
Mary Nelson, George Mason University
Benjamin Dreyfus, George Mason University
Tina Bell, George Mason University
George Mason's STEM Accelerator program was created by the College of Science (COS) in 2011 to increase the success of undergraduate students. The goals of the STEM Accelerator program are:
- increase enrollment in COS (especially among under-represented groups)
- increase retention rates within the college
- decrease time to graduation
- aid our students in obtaining work in a STEM field.
We run a successful Learning Assistant program (linked to University of Boulder), have many outreach opportunities for potential Mason students, we run camps that support incoming freshmen, and provide many enrichment opportunities for Mason COS students.
Accelerator-run summer camps aid recruitment, enable freshmen success, and help retention in science and math. Faculty grants and outside support enable us to provide camps at minimal expense and recruitment supports ethnic, gender and financial diversity. FOCUS Camp (Females of Color Underrepresented in STEM) is a one-week long summer camp for rising 6th, 7th and 8th graders. Participants exercise their critical thinking skills and engage in creative problem-solving activities that foster interests in technology, engineering, forensic sciences and mathematics. FOCUS Academy for high school female students is a hands-on, residential camp with STEM workshops and professional development activities that prepare students for college. Math Boot Camp and STEM Bridge camps are hands-on camps that introduce incoming freshmen to campus life, build confidence in math and science skills, and prepare students for their first year as a Mason STEM students.
This diversity of programs are made possible as the STEM Accelerator program is an independent unit with seven faculty members from six STEM disciplines (Math (2), Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Geology, Forensic Science). Accelerator faculty teach half time in their departments and work half time for the Accelerator during the academic year; they work full time for the Accelerator during the summer.
Presentation Media
Poster: Summer programing to enable success in STEM (PowerPoint 2007 (.pptx) 2.7MB Jun9 21)