STEM Outreach Matrix

As one of the world’s leading research universities, Penn has a broad array of faculty conducting cutting-edge research in all disciplines. CURF helps Penn undergraduates become involved in research by helping them identify resources, narrow their search, and shape their initial inquiries so they can find appropriate faculty mentors and research funding.

This talk series brings leading scholars from around the world to discuss the social implications of neuroscience. Additionally, it brings visiting professors and students to Penn for stays of a few weeks to a few months to interact with the greater Penn community on problems of neuroscience and society. 

Neuroscience is increasingly relevant to a number of professions and academic disciplines beyond its traditional medical applications. Lawyers, educators, economists and businesspeople, as well as scholars of sociology, philosophy, applied ethics and policy, are incorporating the concepts and methods of neuroscience into their work. Indeed, for any field in which it is important to understand, predict or influence human behavior, neuroscience will play an increasing role. The Penn Neuroscience Boot Camp is designed to give participants a basic foundation in cognitive and affective neuroscience and to equip them to be informed consumers of neuroscience research. 

Participating in this Penn initiative provides faculty with a new avenue for developing broader impact activities based on their research. Coursera is an online platform for open-access, non-credit classes, available at no cost to audiences around the world at Coursera.org. Increasing access is at the heart of Penn’s mission, and Coursera provides an exciting opportunity to accomplish this, giving a worldwide audience the chance to experience Penn’s extraordinary educational resources. It is anticipated that the initiative will also help develop new forms of teaching and technology – such as out-of class instruction (which may free up valuable in-class time for more interactive learning), autograded assignments, and other innovations – that can help shape teaching and learning across our own campus. The Center for Teaching and Learning provides information and support for those interested in this opportunity. 

 

Penn Science Across Ages (PSAA) is a Penn student organization dedicated to improving science education in the West Philadelphia public school system. Penn students, or PSAA Fellows, from all schools and majors are trained by PSAA in inquiry-based teaching methods. With PSAA's support, Fellows lead weekly science programming during the school day or after school. PSAA will primarily work with Lea School, a K-8 Philadelphia public school at 47th and Locust Streets, and with Science Leadership Academy, a science-focused high school formed through a partnership between the School District of Philadelphia and The Franklin Institute.

The goal of this intensive hands-on summer program is to introduce undergraduate students to the principles and techniques of computational neuroscience and to foster training that integrates experimental and theoretical approaches to understanding neural function. After a short course, students will conduct research in a Penn lab, attend a seminar series and present their research at a symposium.

Project BioEYES utilizes live zebrafish to teach week-long biology experiments in 4th, 7th, and high school classrooms nationwide. We are looking to expand our units to involve new STEM areas.  

The SUMR program is sponsored by the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics (LDI) and the Health Care Management Department of the Wharton School to provide undergraduate students an opportunity to explore the exciting field of health services research. Participants should have an interest in health care and strong quantitative skills. SUMR Scholars receive a stipend to work with Penn faculty mentors on a health services research project, participate in weekly seminars with Penn faculty, attend research conferences, present a final presentation at the “End of SUMR” symposium, and take part in various extracurricular activities/social functions. 

This is a week-long summer program for middle school students who attend Girard College high school. This special program will introduce middle school students to various aspects  of materials science  with the intent of fostering an interest in careers in science and engineering. 

This is a free, four week summer program for local high school students interested in materials science and engineering.  Students, usually juniors but occasionally well qualified sophomores, are accepted. The program consists of lectures on materials, a computer lab, experimental labs, and field trips to both industrial and Penn facilities. Students are drawn from schools in the Delaware Valley within easy commuting distance of the LRSM. 

This is a six week summer program for 5 local high school science teachers who will each undertake a research project in materials science with an LRSM- affiliated faculty member. The program runs from late June through early August. 

In an effort to reach out to the general public, we have started a monthly series of  materials-based Science Cafes. These are popular science talks on specific aspects of materials, eg fuel cells, solar power, etc., given by our affiliated faculty at a local restaurant/bar in a relaxed setting conducive to setting up a dialogue between the speaker and the audience.

The goal of the NBIC outreach programs is to contribute to the development of a scientifically literate community using nanoscale topics to excite the imagination. Some programs address the professional development needs of high school science teachers while others increase awareness for societal impacts of nanoscale science and technology. These programs are targeted toward precollegiate students and the general public.

This program combines a rich research experience in nanobiotechnology with structured professional development focused on cross-cultural issues.  We seek to place undergraduate students in summer research settings in broad areas related to nanoscale science and/or nanotechnology. NBIC recruits from a national audience and covers all aspects of program management, housing, travel, and summer stipend. Host researchers agree to designate a mentor (grad student or post doc) and cover laboratory costs related to the undergrads student’s project.

The Moelis Access Science (MAS) program seeks to improve science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education K-16+ by partnering Penn students and faculty with K-12 community schools. MAS has four primary components:  Direct Classroom Intervention (K-12 Teacher-Fellow Partnerships), STEM-Related Academically Based Community Service (ABCS) Courses, Teacher Professional Development, and Evaluation.

This internship program provides a unique training experience intended to stimulate multidisciplinary, creative thinking and research innovation early in a student’s academic career. The 8-week summer program includes classroom study, working in research labs, and seminars, culminating in participants' presentation of their research at a symposium. 

The goal of the 60 Second Lecture Series is to give the campus community a chance to hear -- very quickly! -- from some of the School’s outstanding faculty members.

A 4-week summer program with the goal to introduce high school students to the experimental basis of biology, including relevance to disease.  The focus of the program will be on how we know what we know. One year of HS Biology required.

Led by faculty and staff of Penn's Department of Chemistry, as well as outstanding teachers and researchers selected from the region, this 4-week summer program for rising high school juniors and seniors affords participants hands-on experiences with cutting-edge research projects in the chemical sciences.  Academy topics will be derived from departmental research thrusts at the frontier of modern chemistry with participants experiencing hands-on explorations and faculty lectures, reading journal articles guided by graduate/undergraduate students, and visiting research labs and facilities both at Penn and in the Philadelphia area.
 

The goal of the Knowledge by the Slice series is to give the campus community a chance to hear from some of the School’s outstanding faculty members in an informal pizza-lunch setting.

The Teachers Institute offers academic professional development seminars led by world class Penn scholars, which are open to public school teachers from the West and Southwest Regions of the School District of Philadelphia at no cost. 

Boot UP! Camp is a 1-week day programs for high school students who excel in math and have an interest in computers.  Students will spend time working on a variety of technologies, creating their own games and animations, working with multi-media textiles, and Programming in Java. 

WiCS is a student run organization whose primary aim is to create a sense of community between the women in Computer Science and Digital Media Design. WiCS holds a high school outreach program meant to expose girls to creative technologies regardless of experience level. Tech Nights are meant to be fun, hands on and best of all - free. 

GRASP supports STEM education in the Philadelphia region by providing training, mentoring and assistance to local schools. GRASP students mentor teams, train STEM educators and provide tours of GRASP to area schools. School year activities culminate in a K-12 student open house in celebration of National Robotics Week each April. 

The RoboMentor program is made up of undergraduate and graduate engineering students who mentor local high school robotics teams . During competition season, mentors are either in schools or on campus with students.  

Penn Engineering is responsible for coordinating the Eastern Pennsylvania FIRST LEGO League (FLL) robotics program. FLL provides an opportunity for middle school students between the ages of 9-14 to engage in hands on engineering using the LEGO NXT robotics platform. Penn FLL supports over 100 teams of middle school students by organizing regional events, providing on campus training and mentoring to coaches and teams Penn Engineering faculty, staff and students participate as volunteers in all areas of the program. 

SUNFEST is a unique program that provides talented undergraduate students with hands-on research during the summer in the area of sensor technologies.

The CTSA internship program provides an 8-week mentored experience in translational and clinical approaches to understanding disease and developing therapeutic modalities. The focus of the internship is research, generally in a laboratory setting. The internship consists as well of several hours each week devoted to coursework and a seminar series. 

This group focuses on addressing barriers to accessing nutritional foods in urban settings. All interested researchers from inside and outside of the Penn community are welcome.

This CPHI group focuses on: 1) Serving as a discussion forum for researchers in current and future projects who are using/planning on using qualitative and mixed methods. 2)Working toward expanding the use, quality and acceptability of qualitative and mixed methods research at Penn and in the broader academic community. This group welcomes members from all areas inside and outside of the Penn community.

The CPHI is collaborating with Sustainable Communities Initiatives West (SCI-West), the Barbara and Edward Netter Center for Community Partnerships, the Agatston Urban Nutrition Initiative, HealthyNewsWorks and Henry C. Lea Elementary school in West Philadelphia to establish the Healthy Post newspaper written primarily by third to sixth graders. Through this program, students sharpen their writing, interviewing, problem-solving and research skills.

Ten-week summer internships for selected undergraduate students will expose them to the field of environmental health science through mentorship, coursework, and field experience.  

The SUIP provides an intense research experience to students interested in graduate study in the biomedical and biological sciences.  Approximately 30 college students from across the US participate in this 10-week full-time laboratory research experience each year; most are rising juniors and seniors. 

TREES is a unique summer research and mentorship program offering a hands-on environmental research opportunity for motivated high-school students.  

CHA allows participants to peek into the workd of working dogs through training and exposure through search and rescue, ovarian cancer detection, diabetic alert detection, law enforcement and veterinary care.

The Educational Opportunity Center is a federally funded adult college access program. EOC provides West and Southwest Philadelphia residents age 19 and over from primarily low-income, first generation backgrounds with support and referral services that facilitate their entry into higher education programs. EOC serves 1,000 participants each year.

McNair Scholars Program is a federally funded program that fosters greater diversity in higher education by striving to increase the number of students from traditionally under-represented groups who enter and complete Ph.D. programs. The program provides research opportunities, individual mentoring, and graduate school preparatory services to academically talented low-income and first generation college students and to students from racial and ethnic groups traditionally under-represented in higher education in general and in doctoral programs in particular. McNair serves 22-24 Penn students each year.  

The Provost’s Summer Mentorship Program is a four week non-residential college preparatory program for Philadelphia public and charter high school students who apply for the program as rising 10th and 11th grade students. SMP along with SMP Plus, the academic year component of the program, provides a range of coordinated academic and personal development resources to prepare the 50-75 students to prepare to compete successfully for admission to the colleges and universities. The students are introduced to career choices through the programs organized for them by the Schools of Nursing, Medicine, Engineering, Dental Medicine, and Law. A central administrative staff in the VPUL Department of Equity and Access provides oversight for this School-based offering of academic and career exploration program. 

The Trio Veterans Upward Bound Program, a federally funded program serving 120 persons annually, enhances the learning experience of military veterans. It offers intensive pre-college academic courses and comprehensive support services towards the pursuit of post-secondary education.

The Penn Upward Bound Math and Science Program is a federally funded college preparatory program for 50 high school students at targeted West Philadelphia high schools who are interested in the STEM fields. UBMS provides these highly motivated first-generation, low income students with educational, scientific, and cultural programs that enhance their ability to complete high school and then go on to complete degrees at competitive four-year post-secondary institutions.