B.U.O.Y. Foundation’s Summer STEM Program guides seventh and eighth grade students through an immersion into Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). We expose middle school youth to STEM-related fields, majors and careers before high school to help them tailor their secondary school coursework and extracurricular activities in preparation for post-secondary STEM majors, and eventually, STEM careers.
Summer Program Objectives:
• Introduce a rigorous and challenging interdisciplinary STEM program
• Provide instruction that interconnects STEM-related subjects
• Lead student exploration of STEM-related majors and careers
• Increase student awareness of the secondary & post-secondary academic requirements of STEM fields and careers
• Expose students to the ways in which STEM impacts their communities and the world
Methodology:
On the first day of the program, students learn how STEM directly impacts them, and ways STEM is used to address issues that impact their community and world. In groups, they identify an issue impacted by STEM (i.e. wildlife conservation, pollution, health disparities, global warming, alternative energy) that they are interested in solving.
Each day during the program students are taught a STEM curriculum where they learn how to make the connection between theory and practice. Employing a “roving classroom” we take students out of the typical classroom setting and immerse them in real life situations where they learn about STEM fields, majors and careers and apply STEM knowledge to everyday processes. Our field trips include visits to STEM-related venues such as the Richmond Science Museum and the Museum of Crime and Punishment to provide opportunities for students to practically apply STEM theories and methodologies.
At the conclusion of the program, students have an opportunity to summarize the lessons learned throughout the program by analyzing and proposing a solution to the issue they identified in their groups. Students are expected to employ the scientific method to solve the problem:
• Ask a Question
• Do Background Research
• Construct a Hypothesis
• Test the Hypothesis by Doing an Experiment
• Analyze the Data and Draw a Conclusion
• Communicate the Results
The final project is be a group presentation comprised of a written report and an oral presentation. In addition, each participant is required to submit an individual essay summarizing what they gained from their participation in the program.
Admissions Criteria:
The Summer Academic Program is designed for seventh and eighth grade students who meet the following criteria:
• Must belong to an underrepresented population
• Must have a minimum grade point average of 2.5
Students who meet the above criteria will be asked to begin the two part application process which consists of:
1) A written application. Click here to download the application.
2) A personal essay outlining why the student wants to participate and what they hope to achieve in the program.
Applications will be reviewed by the board of directors of B.U.O.Y. Foundation and administrators from Stone Middle School. The students will be selected based on the overall strength of the written application and essay.
Please mail applications to B.U.O.Y. Foundation: 5706 Janneys Mill Cir. Haymarket, VA 20169 or send as an email attachment to info@buoyfoundation.org.
Program Cost: $250 per student
For more information contact us.