Program will pair Brescia students with Daviess County freshmen
OWENSBORO, Ky. (Dec. 11, 2015) — Brescia University has been awarded a $30,000 grant from the Alcoa Foundation to fund a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) mentoring program for ninth-grade female students with an interest in seeking a STEM-related college education and/or career upon graduation from high school. The grant will be distributed in the amount of $15,000 over the course of two years.
The program will consist of a five-day summer institute for 48 female students enrolled in Daviess County-area high schools.
“This grant will support an innovative program here at Brescia that will not only educate female students on STEM programs but will empower them to make a difference in the STEM field by pursuing a related career,” said Father Larry Hostetter, President of Brescia University. “With the need for STEM professionals on the rise, we are confident that this program will not only benefit local students, but we also hope to impact the field of STEM in a positive way.”
The program will also include one-on-one mentoring sessions on a monthly basis during the academic year and education activities and seminars related to STEM concepts. Participants will be matched with a Brescia University student who is enrolled in a STEM major.
Dr. Janett Williams, assistant professor of Computer Science at Brescia University, will lead the program.
The program was created in response to an effort by the White House at the state and local levels over the past decade to get more females involved in STEM education and careers. The Bureau of Labor Statistics states that by 2022, there will be more than 9 million STEM job openings and the U.S. is not projected to graduate enough STEM professionals to meet this demand. This program hopes to encourage female students in the area to pursue a degree or career in this area to fill that need.
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