SUMMER BRIDGE

The Massasoit STEM Starter Academy has three components to help studentsexplore the science, technology, engineering, and math disciplines.

The Summer Bridge program is open to students matriculating at Massasoit in the fall. It provides students a free opportunity to explore the STEM fields and become “STEM ready” for the fall. This means strengthening their math

skills so that they can take a college level math their first year, and developing the important skills of critical thinking, organization, and group work to allow them to succeed in their foundational science courses.

STEM SCHOLARSSTEM Scholars is a cohort program that students participate in during their time at Massasoit. It provides activities and field trips to help students explore career and educational opportunities, and gives them rigorous and focused

advising and tutoring to help keep them on track to graduate.

RESEARCH INTERNSHIPSThe research inernship component of the Academy gives students an opportunity to participate in a research project

on campus. Students must develop novel approaches to problems, devise methods of working together in teams, and take responsibility for planning and accomplishing tasks. Students are evaluated through a performance assessment

that takes into account all of these factors as well as their development of knowledge in the area of research.

STUDENT TESTIMONIALS

Working in a lab, where I was able to acquire and cultivate skills in experimental design, statistical

analyses, and critical thinking, has sparked a passion for performing

research. Due to this hands on experience, I now hope to conduct

biomedical research as a nurse. - AG

Participating in the STEM Starter Academy was a great opportunity to get used to being back to school. I worked for three years and my routine was very different from school. I had the chance to get used to the learning process as well as time management before taking five classes in the Fall. During the program I was introduced to the native pollinators research and became an intern in the spring. I have gained a great knowledge about research from effectively doing background research to developing methods, and analyzing data. - DD

When I started the STEM program, I was only in fundamentals of math. With the help of the STEM program, I was able to finish two math courses in the span of five weeks. With the ability to finish these math classes it made me realize I actually like math. I now tutor a math class and help all my friends with their math homework. - EH

I’ve learned so much about how to perform research at a business level and how to refine my overall questions to tackle the bigger pic-ture. It’s also helped me improve my problem solving skills in and outside the lab. To be able to get hands on experience only drives me to excel further into my career. - RM

The best experience in my life. This program has shown me a way to

educate myself after 20 years of not having gone to school. It opened doors

to success! - MM