Bridging The Valley
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Bridgewater College (BC) has partnered with Blue Ridge Community College (BRCC),Eastern Mennonite University (EMU), James Madison University (JMU), SRI Inc., and the Shenandoah Valley Partnership to address the challenges of building additional STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) related major enrollments and retaining students to program completion. The National Science Foundation awarded the partners nearly $1.5 million to meet this goal. Additional information about the grant can be found by visiting www.jmu.edu/stem/btv The focus for Bridging the Valley: A STEP Ahead for STEM Majors, is to increase the number of STEM related majors at the four institutions. The project will accomplish this goal by better preparing entering students for collegiate mathematics and supporting their pursuit and completion of STEM degrees and potential careers through the following activities:
Summer Bridge Program 2012 Summer Bridge Program Date: Sunday, Jun 24 - Friday, July 13 This is a residential program designed to assist students interested in STEM-related majors. This program offers incoming freshman extra preparation for college level mathematics and hands-on learning with thematic science/technology research and problem-solving skills. Incoming freshmen will be invited to participate based on their math placement test score during orientation and the math/writing SAT score. To learn more about this opportunity, contact: Dr. Robyn Puffenbarger Collaborative Learning BC-CLC The BC CLC is a program to assist first-year students majoring in the STEM disciplines to have a successful initial year at Bridgewater College. This will be achieved by:
Corporate Connections An integral part of the retention plan for Bridging the Valley: A STEP Ahead for STEM Majors is to offer students an opportunity to develop new skills, gain experience working in STEM-related fields, collaborate in a team, and build relationships with potential employers. We work closely with Career Services on each campus and encourage you to take advantage of activities that prepare you for future STEM careers. In addition to Bridgewater's career services staff, Corporate Connections works with local businesses to provide work related opportunities. Our efforts are focused on connecting students in one of the following ways:
If you are interested in working with Corporate Connection on finding an internship or job shadow, please complete the Student Interest form. Students are also encouraged to work with Career Services. Corporate Connections Contact: Jennifer Sowers jsowers@bridgewater.edu 540-820-0514 Faculty Development Professional development will be offered to collegiate STEM instructors to improve student engagement and retention. Click here for more information. K-12 Outreach In order to sustain the increases in STEM major degrees beyond the duration for this project, we will work with K-12 STEM instructors and guidance counselors. Click here for more information. Student Teaching Assistants, Mentors, and Tutors If you are a STEM major and would like to participate in this program, contact Jennifer Sowers jsowers@bridgewater.edu. Positions are available in the summer and during the academic year. Staff Dr. Robyn Puffenbarger Dr. Ken Overway Jennifer Sowers BCSTEM Related Majors Applied Physics, Physics, Physics & Math |
