2020 Summer STEM Opportunity for Teachers and Students
New York State (NYS), the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) invites STEM teachers and eligible HS & MS students to apply for
2020’s ARC & ORNL Summer STEM Program. (Applications are due before Feb. 28, 2020.)
The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) is sponsoring two all-expense paid, mid-summer, residential hands-on learning programs at the nation’s prestigious Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), located 25 miles from Knoxville, Tennessee, for selected STEM teachers and high school and middle school students.
These programs focus on math, science, and technology for students and STEM teachers from NYS’s ARC Region -- Allegany, Broome, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Chemung, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Otsego, Schoharie, Schuyler, Steuben, Tioga, and Tompkins counties.
2020’s two-week HS Summer Math-Science-Technology Institute for HS students and teachers will be from July 5–17, 2020. 2020’s five-day MS Summer Science Academy will be July 11–17, 2020.
Selected participants will work with award-winning scientists at one of the nation’s largest U.S. Department of Energy research facilities and are involved in a variety of team-building and other activities. Students are engaged in guided science, math, and computer science technology team research projects; Teachers receive a $1,000 stipend and partner with individual research practitioners to develop STEM-related curriculum. The programs culminate in a graduation ceremony where participants are recognized and showcase their work.
2020 High School Summer Math-Science-Technology Institute for Teachers and Students:
9th & 10th Graders (age 16+): apply to high school two-week program
2020 STEM Academy for Middle School Students:
6th,7th & 8th Graders: apply to middle school program one-week program
- MS Applicant Criteria and MS Student Application
Applicants must use the appropriate ARC/ORNL online portal link shown above and must inform NYS’s ARC Program staff [email protected] and [email protected] after applying. Applicants should follow-up by providing their application information to NYS ARC Program staff via email after applying.
In consultation with NYSED’s Curriculum and Instruction Division personnel, NYS’s ARC Program staff will review applications and recommendation letters and will consider various other factors to nominate two applicants to participate in each teacher and student summer session. Additionally, alternate nominees may be designated to fill the program’s quota on space-available basis.
As per the sponsor’s criteria, the following are some of the additional factors that may be considered in ranking applications for nomination to ARC and ORNL: whether a student would potentially be a “first-generation” college-going student; evidence of economic factors that might otherwise hinder participation in summer educational programs; the potential gain such a program as this would provide the student to mitigate other disadvantages; evidence of limited access to broadband or technology resources at home or school. For teachers, additional factors that my be considered are evidence of leadership and the ability to significantly and favorably impact students, especially disadvantaged students, to consider studies or career possibilities in STEM. All applicants must be US citizens. Preference may be shown to applicants from schools in economically distressed communities or schools with high free-or-reduced-lunch eligibility.