USD Puts NSF Grant into Action for STEMWoW Summer Program

The National Science Foundation awarded the University of San Diego a $300,000 grant in Fall 2017 to develop and research a program to inspire young people to pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields. This summer, USD is delivering on the grant, which runs through 2019.

Known as “Bridging the World of Work and Informal STEM Education (STEMWoW),” this program aims to help youth explore their individual strengths, interests, and values, expose them to STEM careers, and engage them in rigorous hands-on STEM activities. The program centers on a youth summer STEM enrichment program — the STEMWoW Summer Academy — and follow-up sessions during the academic year involving the families.

The summer experience, which is for middle school students within the Chula Vista Elementary School District (CVESD), includes:

Hands-on Activities/Explorations: The creation of chain reaction machines, mathematics explorations through origami, unfamiliar visual problems, drawing and scaling activities, engineering design, and Robocrafting inspired by the need to improve our world by addressing issues of poverty, hunger, health, education, climate change, gender equality, water, sanitation, energy, environment and social justice.

World of Work Activities: Career exploration through investigating the main types of jobs available in San Diego, San Diego’s Five Priority Sectors (Advanced Manufacturing, Clean Energy, Health Care, Information Communication Technologies, and Life Sciences), learning about oneself, interviewing with STEM professionals, reflecting after each day’s activities, and crafting their individual career action plans.

The program is under the direction of USD faculty and administrative Dr. Odesma Dalrymple (Engineering), Dr. Perla Myers (Mathematics), Dr. Vitaliy Popov and Dr. Yaoran Li (both from the Jacobs Institute for Innovation in Education) and Dr. Joi Spencer (SOLES Associate Professor and Associate Dean).

There are two STEMWoW Summer Academy sessions: June 17-29 and July 8-20. Work is being done both in the Cymer Ideation Space within Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering’s Loma Hall and at the School of Leadership and Education Sciences’ Mother Rosalie Hill Hall.

— USD News Center