Rose-Hulman program seeks to bring underrepresented students into STEM
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Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology is using a program to give historically underrepresented high school students the chance to explore opportunities in science, technology, engineering and math.
The school is partnering with community-based organizations and high schools throughout the state on the RoseSTEM college preparatory program.
“We’re just thinking how we can expose students who have not historically pursued STEM degrees and think of ways that we can activate their interest and show them a pathway, so that they know this is definitely in their future,” said Tom Bear, vice president for enrollment management.
Bear told Inside INdiana Business that while some students may end up enrolling at Rose-Hulman, the program is not about just recruiting students to the school.
“Our number one goal for their students, is to encourage that pursuit of a STEM degree, whether it be at Rose-Hulman or Purdue are Trine or whatever college they decide to go to, that’s really up to the student, because they have to make that best fit for them,” he said. “We just want to make sure that what we’re doing is helping facilitate that interest to go into a STEM degree.”
RoseSTEM is partnering with a number of schools and organizations in Indiana and Illinois to bring the awareness of STEM career opportunities to students.
A group of about 65 high school students from the GEO Academies in Gary and Indianapolis, along with others from central Indiana and Terre Haute came to the Rose-Hulman campus to learn about different STEM careers and the demand for college graduates with STEM skills.
“The more that we can expose students to different colleges, like Rose-Hulman, the more familiar they will become to the opportunities that are available to them,” Roy Hamilton, a guidance counselor with Gary’s 21st Century Charter School, said in written remarks. “We’re encouraging the students to ask questions, seek advice, and see what’s out there in college. This is the time for students to explore their horizons.”
RoseSTEM also brings students to the Terre Haute campus for summer programs where students can get a taste of studying in the STEM fields by working in a makerspace and work with current students who serve as mentors, Bear said.
While there aren’t any specific industry partners in the RoseSTEM program, Bear said students get the chance to go to the school’s career fair where they can learn more about potential jobs from employers.
“What they’re helping us do is to sit down with the kids talk about what your future can be, what they need to do in high school, [and] show that path there,” he said. “So they’re helping us build that bridge between where the student currently is, and what their future can be. They’re telling those students, ‘We want you and we need you,’ and that’s an important message, I think, for the kids who have not historically looked at a STEM field as a potential path in life.”
The current RoseSTEM education partners are:
- Center for Leadership Development, Indianapolis
- GEO Next Generation High School & Academies, Indianapolis and Gary
- Starfish Initiative, Indianapolis
- Girl Scouts of Central Indiana
- Herron School, Indianapolis
- Minority Engineering Program of Indianapolis
- 100 Black Women of South Bend
- North Vigo High School, Terre Haute
- South Vigo High School, Terre Haute
- West Vigo High School, West Terre Haute
- Noble Charter Schools, Chicago
- Walter Payton College Preparatory High School, Chicago
- Marian Catholic High School, Chicago Heights, Illinois
You can learn more about the RoseSTEM program by clicking here.