Summer Experience in the Eberly College of Science:
SEECoS
- SEECoS Director: Dr.
Jackie Bortiatynski
(Co-Director, 2006 - 2008)
jackie@chem.psu.edu
Associate Director: Dr.
Mercedes Richards (Director, 2006 - 2008)
mrichards@astro.psu.edu
Eberly
College of Science Outreach Programs Office
SEECoS, Summer Experience in the
Eberly College of Science,
is a six-week summer research program in the Eberly
College of Science designed for low income high school
students. It evolved from proposals entitled "So We Need More
Scientists: Let's Grow Them!" and "Let's Grow Them! - Developing Space
Scientists Through the Upward Bound Math and Science Program." SEECoS
was developed in collaboration with the Upward
Bound Math and Science (UBMS) Center and a sister program
called SEEMS, "Summer Experience in Earth and Mineral Sciences." The
UBMS
Center is supported by the federal government through the TRIO program,
an umbrella program which covers Upward Bound, Talent Search, and
Student Support Services. The TRIO program is designed to
promote educational opportunities for low income Americans by helping
them to overcome class, social, and cultural barriers to higher
education.
The research component supplied by the SEECoS program provides the
students with direct research experience which enhances what they have
learned in the classroom. The students in the SEECoS program achieve a
sense of confidence in their abilities, in addition to a deeper
understanding of what real scientists do in their laboratories. SEECoS
attracts well-prepared underrepresented students who become interested
in the Eberly College of Science as a direct result of their
interactions with our faculty. Their SEECoS experience makes them more
familiar with our college and Penn State. Over the past seven years,
graduates of the SEEMS research program in the College of Earth and
Mineral Sciences have enrolled as undergraduates in that college, and
we expect that there will be a similar trend for the SEECoS students.
Interactions between SEECoS faculty and the UBMS program began in
Summer 2006 when Dr. Donald Richards (Statistics) and Dr. Mercedes
Richards (Astronomy & Astrophysics) gave 45-minute lunchtime
lectures about their research to the entire UBMS group. The SEECoS
research program was fully operational by Summer 2007. It involved
twenty students spread out over four research groups and led by three
SEECoS faculty: Dr. Jackie Bortiatynski (Chemistry), Donald Richards,
and Mercedes Richards. During the research program, the students worked
on SEECoS projects during two 3-hour sessions each week, for a total of
six weeks.
- SEECoS Founding Directors (2006 -
2008): Dr.
Mercedes Richards & Dr.
Jackie Bortiatynski
The SEECoS Faculty
Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics
Department of Biology
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Department of Chemistry
Department of Chemistry & Forensic Science
Program
Department of Physics
Department of Statistics
SEECoS Projects and Lectures
SEECoS 2006 Program
SEECoS 2007 Program
SEECoS 2008 Program
SEECoS 2009 Program
SEECoS 2010 Program
SEECoS Sponsors
Funding for the SEECoS program has been provided by the Eberly College
of Science, the Penn State Office of the Vice Provost for Educational
Equity, the John and Elizabeth Holmes Teas Scholarship Fund, the
Department of Chemistry, the Dupont Professor Endowment Fund to Dr. Tom
Mallouk, the Penn State Materials Research Science & Engineering
Center (a Center for Nanoscale Science), the Smeal College of Business,
the Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence, the National Science
Foundation, and the Penn State NASA Astrobiology Institute.
The Success of the UBMS Program
The UBMS program at Penn State -University Park lasts for six weeks
from mid-June to the end of July each summer. In addition, UBMS
maintains contact with the students during the academic year and the
students visit University Park at least once each semester.
The specific goals of the UBMS program are
(1) to help students to recognize and develop their potential to excel
in math and science and
(2) to encourage them to pursue postsecondary degrees in these fields.
Since its inception in 1990, the UBMS program has tracked the learning
outcomes of the participants in the program. The program has been very
successful (see UBMS report by Jody Markley)
After one year in UBMS:
87% of our students received a B or higher in their mathematics course
at their high school.
82% of our students received a B or higher in their science courses at
their high school.
73% of our students are enrolled in advanced academic courses at their
high school.
52% of our students are enrolled in Advanced Placement courses at their
high school.
Since 1990:
70% of program participants who matriculated to postsecondary education
went on to graduate.
98% of postsecondary graduates received their Bachelor’s degree, even
though an Associate’s Degree would also qualify as postsecondary
graduation.
Based on a total population of over 550 UBMS students since 2000:
99% of program participants graduated from high school.
99% of program participants were accepted into post-secondary
educational institutions.
92% of program participants enrolled in postsecondary educational
institutions.
82% of program participants graduated from postsecondary educational
institutions.
76% of program participants enrolled in post-secondary educational
institutions received math/science-related degrees.
In addition,
89% received an above-average grade in their Mathematics class during
the school year.
87% received an above-average grade in their Science class during the
school year.
87% showed an increase of at least a quarter grade level in their score
or achieved the maximum score on the Mathematics Section of the
National Achievement Test.
82% showed an increase of at least a quarter grade level in their score
or achieved the maximum score on the Science Section of the National
Achievement Test.
SEECoS students are recruited by the UBMS Director, Jody Markley, early
in the Spring semester. She and her team of educators maintain contact
with the students during the academic year and the students visit
University Park at least once each semester. Over their six weeks at
University Park, the students attend regular classes in Math, English,
Latin, science (chemistry, biology, physics), and Research Writing.
These subjects are considered to be essential preparation for a science
career. English is included since the students need to learn to write
proper reports and Latin teaches them the roots of many words that are
used in science and medicine. Trained high school teachers are hired by
the UBMS program to teach these classes. In addition, the program
provides them with SAT Preparation, academic and career counseling,
college applications, and exposes them to research done by Penn State
faculty. An important aspect of the collaboration between SEECoS and
UBMS is that since the housing, meals, and classes for the students are
managed by the UBMS Center, the SEECoS teams can focus on the research
aspect of the students' experiences.
Created by Mercedes Richards: Last
modified
February 3, 2011