Some of the ways students can engage and work with mentors include specific efforts around supporting Women in STEM and partnerships with the CORE program.
Student Internships
Through research, we also know a critical way for students to not only learn STEM but find their interest and spark to pursue it as a career is engaging with in-depth research and scientific activity. Through SciSpark Scholars, middle and high school students across the Twin Cities will work with University faculty and researchers to gain critical experiences to enhance their knowledge of the world around us, as well as pique their interests to explore STEM as a career choice.
Classroom Programming
We have to meet students where they’re at, literally. As part of our four-pronged approach, we will work with teachers across the Twin Cities to design and implement classroom programs that can open doors to new inquiries in STEM. From biology to engineering, we plan to create this inquiry-based science curriculum for students in grades 6-12. This step is critical for engaging with students and piquing their interest in STEM where they are at now: the classroom.
Teacher Professional Development
Through online and in person programming, we offer a scalable teacher development curriculum focused on culturally-responsive STEM instruction. This curriculum brings teachers into the laboratory to experience authentic scientific inquiry and provides time to build relationships with progressional scientists that support teachers in bringing this scientific inquiry back to their classrooms.