College Park Scholars Program Awarded Grant for STEM Education Partnership

The University of Maryland’s Office of Diversity & Inclusion has awarded the College Park Scholars Science, Technology and Society (STS) program with a “Moving Maryland Forward” grant.

The $11,000 grant will support the STS program's K-12 School Robotics and STEM Education service-learning partnership with several Prince George’s County schools in 2013-2014. Undergraduates will lead robotics clubs in local schools, 90% of whose students are from ethnicities historically under-represented in STEM majors. The STS service-learning program in robotics has been established by Matthew Aruch, STS Assistant Director.

“We are excited to receive this grant, which will enable us to get 25 undergraduates into PG County classrooms each week,” said STS Director Betsy Mendelsohn. “We also will bring about 100 K-12 students onto campus for two robotics workshops led by undergraduates. We are pleased to support the university's goal of increasing diversity in STEM and on campus.”

Sponsored in part by the A. James Clark School of Engineering, the STS program allows undergraduates to examine the ways that science and technology shape society, and emphasizes the importance of social processes in shaping scientific research and technological development.

Learn more about the Scholars STS program.

Published May 21, 2013