Science Training and Research Program (STAR)

Sponsored by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Undergraduate Biological Education Program grant to The College of William and Mary.

Introduction

The Science Training and Research (STAR) Program is a pre-collegiate summer enrichment program for rising 11th grade students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Because such students are often unaware of the rich and varied opportunities available to them in the sciences, this unique program is designed to introduce students to the world of science, research, and technology. Twenty-five students will be selected to participate in this 4-week residential program at The College of William and Mary.

The STAR Program

• Provides the challenge of an authentic college experience through a four-week program of living and learning on campus.
• Seeks to stimulate students’ intellectual curiosities in the areas of science, research, and technology; including, for example, opportunities for students to become familiar with college laboratories.
• Assigns each student a faculty mentor according to the student's individual interests; these mentoring relationships are fundamental to the summer program and will continue through the student's years in high school.
• Offers students an opportunity to improve their performance on the new SAT through intensive preparation workshops.
• Assists students in thinking about those qualities which will be important to them in the college or university they choose to attend.

Eligibility

1. STAR is open to all students from disadvantaged backgrounds who will have successfully completed the 10th grade (sophomore year of high school) by June, 2009. For the purpose of STAR, "disadvantaged" means students from lower socio-economic backgrounds, students with parents whose formal education includes little or no college-level work, and students from high schools with modest resources in math and science.
2. Students must have earned a cumulative GPA of at least a "B" in high school to be eligible for participation (current transcript required), have completed at least two courses in science, and two in math (1 year of algebra and 1 year or geometry OR 2 years of algebra).
3. Students must express a willingness to work and must demonstrate a sincere desire to improve their level of scholastic achievement in order to attend post-secondary education after high school graduation.

The Curriculum

The academic component of the STAR Program consists of four non-credit courses. Each course has been designed specifically to enhance the development of those fundamental skills essential to a student's academic achievement in math and science. Students will attend class for approximately six hours per day. Because this program is designed to introduce students to possible careers in science, field trips will also be included. Students will have the opportunity to visit local science facilities such as the Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, NASA, and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. Visits will also include active research laboratories on the William and Mary campus.

Core courses for the STAR program include:

• Mathematics
• Biology
• Chemistry
• Physical Sciences
• SAT Preparation

An Opportunity to Explore

1. Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility - The nation’s newest basic research laboratory built to probe the nucleus of the atom (http://www.jlab.org).
2. NASA Langley Research Center - Instrumental in shaping aerospace history for more than eight decades- a world class center for aeronautics, and space technology (http://www.larc.nasa.gov/).
3. The Virginia Institute of Marine Science - The third largest marine research and education center in the country (http://www.vims.edu/).
4. The National Aquarium in Baltimore - Dedicated to creating respect for the environment and the ecological balance of life through dynamic exhibits and programming (http://www.aqua.org/).

Application Process

To apply for participation in the STAR Program, students must submit a written application form, a current grade report, and a copy of the most recent high school transcript. Students must also support their application with at least two recommendations. One recommendation must be from a teacher or counselor. Additional recommendations can be from others qualified to judge the student's potential for success in the STAR program -- other teachers, coaches, social workers, or other community members who know the student well. The application deadline will be Friday, May 1, 2009.

An application will be available from your high school guidance counselor, and is also available for download below:

• STAR 2009 Brochure (pdf)
• STAR 2009 Application Packet (pdf)

Through a generous grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, all expenses for this 4-week program, including housing, meals, textbooks, and recreation, will be fully paid for each participant. Students should bring money for any incidental and/or personal expenses.

For further information, please contact:

Dr. Vernon J. Hurte, Program Coordinator
The Office of Multicultural Affairs
College of William and Mary
Tel (757) 221-2300
Fax (757) 221-1105
E-mail: [[vjhurt]]