USNA's Summer STEM Program Accepting Applications

By LT Teng K. Ooi and CAPT Linda J. Beltra

Applications for the 2015 Naval Academy Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Summer Program are open. The application can be accessed at www.usna.edu/admissions/STEM.

Session dates include June 1-6 for rising 9th graders; June 8-13 for rising 10th graders; and June 15-19 for rising 11th graders.

This annual summer program is designed to expose young people to STEM concepts and technologies and to encourage 9th-11th graders to pursue a course of study in engineering and technology throughout high school, college and beyond.

The aim is to integrate STEM-focused concepts across the curriculum and pave the way for students to succeed academically in mathematics and science and help put them on a path towards successful STEM careers. An effective and practical way to stimulate student interest in STEM is to show how mathematics and science are applied to create exciting technologies.

The 2015 STEM program will showcase the latest in technological advances in a wide variety of science and engineering topics to include energy and light, infrastructure, transportation, cybersecurity, environmental challenges, flight and fluids, automation, simulation and modeling, biometrics and robotics.

Students will participate in project-based modules using a hands-on, real-world approach to solving design and analysis problems at the Naval Academy’s world-class laboratory facilities. This unique learning environment promotes engineering “habits of mind” such as critical thinking, optimization, innovation, creativity, and team work. It exposes students to a problem-based environment outside the traditional classroom.

The 2015 Summer STEM Program is a great start to a student’s career in science and engineering.