Foundation Gift Will Support Diversity in K-12 STEM at MIT

From Elizabeth Murray
Three K-12 outreach programs at MIT - Saturday Engineering Enrichment and Discovery (SEED) Academy, Code It! and The Women’s Technology Program in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science - have received a one million dollar gift from the Hopper-Dean Foundation with the goal of bringing more underrepresented students into the fields of computer science and engineering.

The founders and supporters of this California foundation, Heidi Hopper and Jeffrey Dean, made the following statement about their important gift:

“With the growing importance of computing and computer science across many fields of endeavor, we feel very strongly that the world's computer scientist population should reflect the world's population and diversity. This gift is designed to explore ways that we can all do better at bringing traditionally underrepresented groups into this important and exciting field."

Saturday Engineering Enrichment and Discovery (SEED) Academy is a free seven-semester academic enrichment and career exploration program for public school students from Boston, Cambridge and Lawrence, Massachusetts who have a strong academic record and interest in science and engineering. Students are admitted into SEED Academy in their freshman and sophomore years of high school. Class sizes vary each year, but average approximately 25, with a total of 70-80 students enrolled in the fall semester, and 90-100 in the spring. The program aims to provide highly talented students from underserved and underrepresented communities with challenging experiences that will prepare them to apply to competitive universities and pursue studies in technical fields.

Code It! is a free MIT program to encourage more girls to explore and pursue computer science. Middle school girls with little or no programming experience can take part in this weekly hands-on program. Students develop computer science skills, participate in interactive workshops, and connect with other students. Students work with experienced and upbeat MIT mentors. The program was founded by a team of undergraduate women engineers at MIT and is organized by the MIT Society for Women Engineers (SWE).

The MIT Women’s Technology Program (WTP) in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science is a rigorous, fast-paced four-week academic and residential experience where female high school students explore electrical engineering, computer science, and discrete mathematics through hands-on classes, labs, and team-based projects in the summer after 11th grade. 40 participants are selected each year from a nationwide applicant pool of young women who have demonstrated outstanding academic talent in math and science. No prior experience in physics or engineering is required, but students are expected to handle college-level material at a rapid pace. Classes are taught by current female MIT students or recent graduates. WTP was created by MIT students in EECS in 2002 who were concerned about the fact that many young women do not consider engineering or computer science majors in college, despite having strong math and science backgrounds and analytical abilities.

MIT sponsors comprehensive pK-12 STEM outreach through over 100 diverse activities for learners and educators, in different domain areas that can be represented in a framework characterized by informal and formal learning, inspirational content, policy and finance, and professional development for educators.

Elizabeth Murray is Project Manager of the MIT BLOSSOMS Initiative.

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