SHPE - Fall 2007 - (Page 48) PROGRAMS & SERVICES Alliance to Measure Math-Science Camp’s Impact on Hispanic Students O ver the summer, approximately 120 Hispanic high school students participated in three SciTech 2020 camps which marked the start of a relationship between the campers and three organizations that are vested in their academic and professional progress. The camps were the first project of the Hispanic Alliance for STEM Opportunities, a partnership formed earlier this year by the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Awards Conference (HENAAC) and IBM. Its goal is to expand educational opportunities for Hispanic youths interested in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). During the four day, three night residential program which took place during June and August, students experienced a taste of college life while participating in exciting lab experiments, engaging in math contests and touring IBM and other high-tech companies. The program also included motivational speakers; information on careers in engineering and science; engineering and math challenges; workshops on writing skills, financial aid/scholarships and Various hands-on activities spurred the imaginations of high school students, inspiring greater interest in engineering and science. The participants of the first Alliance Summer Camp held at the University of Arizona, a partnership formed by SHPE, HENAAC and IBM. résumé writing; and hands-on activities. Each camp accommodated approximately 40 local students, all incoming high school sophomores who had at least a 2.5 grade point average. The camps were held In Brief Application Made Easy: AHETEMS is now providing online applications for all its scholarships and internships via its new website, www.ahetems.org. Only one application is required to apply for all available scholarships. For reoccurring scholarships, as long as applicants maintain a 3.0 GPA, they continue to receive the scholarship. Also, greater scholarship and internship opportunities exist for non U.S. citizens. SHPE Jr. Newsletter: Beginning this fall, AHETEMS will be publishing a quarterly newsletter. In addition to offering resources to SHPE Jr. chapters, it will also provide helpful hints for college and scholarship applications as well as deadlines to submit those applications. Further, it will feature programs and activities being developed for SHPE Jr. and highlight chapters that have been successful in implementing them. Graduate Symposium: The College of Engineering at the University of Michigan will host the Engineering Graduate Symposium on Friday, November 2, 2007. The event focuses on admission to doctoral and master’s programs and graduate student research. Current undergraduate and graduate engineering students at Michigan as well as prospective graduate engineering students from other institutions are welcome to attend. Travel Grants are available for students meeting specific criteria. The day-long program features poster and oral presentations, engineering departmental visitations, admissions and funding workshops, networking with graduate students and featured speakers. For more information and online registration visit http://www.engin.umich.edu/gradsymposium or contact the department at prospectivestudents@umich.edu or (734) 647-7077. 48 at the University of Colorado at Boulder; the University of Arizona; and California State University, Los Angeles. Local SHPE Jr. chapter members were encouraged to apply. IBM contributed $150,000 to cover most of the cost of the camp. The program included a financial aid seminar for the participants’ parents. The participants were also given information on how to start a SHPE Jr. chapter at their local high schools. In addition, based on her participation, leadership and performance in team challenges, Johana Guzman was selected by camp organizers to attend the SHPE PreCollege Symposia at the SHPE Conference. Student assessments were conducted to evaluate change in attitude toward STEM fields. “We want to determine if what we have theorized is actually true – that reaching out early to young people who truly enjoy math and science classes will motivate them to pursue an education and career in a STEM-related field,” said Diana Gomez, SHPE National president. “Our larger goal is to help diversify the STEM work force with Hispanic talent and enhance the U.S. economy overall over the next several decades.” The Alliance’s three member organizations provide an array of educational and professional programs to Hispanics in the United States. By streamlining their efforts, the organizations can collect vital statistics on Hispanics in STEM, according to Adalio Sanchez, general manager of IBM’s technology collaboration solutions, systems and technology group and chairman of the Alliance’s advisory board. “Right now, we are unaware of any solid statistics that say ‘Yes, this type of outreach works,’” Sanchez said. “By measSHPE R Fall 2007 http://www.ahetems.org http://www.engin.umich.edu/gradsymposium
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