STEM Institute helps local students

The University of North Georgia's (UNG) Summer Scholars STEM Institute (SSI) engaged nearly 100 rising fourth-grade to eighth-grade bilingual students on the Gainesville Campus starting on June 1.

"Last year we launched  classes for elementary and middle-grade students," Dr. Max Vazquez Dominguez, UNG associate professor of science education in the College of Education and principal investigator for the NSF grant, said. "Our goal is to encourage students to like science and engineering while exposing them to university environments. This is the first time many of them go to university campuses, and this program offers them an opportunity to envision themselves as a college student when they complete their K-12 education."

Since starting more than 20 years ago, the program has been funded through the generosity of organizations and individuals including the Tommy and Chantal Bagwell Foundation, the Jackson EMC Foundation and Habersham EMC Foundation, as well as the Rotary Club of Gainesville's Hart-Joiner Fund and the United Way of Hall County. In 2021, the program received a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant that aided in the program's transition from the Summer Scholars Institute to the Summer Scholars STEM Institute focusing on strengthening the curriculum and the experience of UNG students serving as pre-service teachers.

Certified teachers have lesson plans that encourage students to learn using their first language. Sixteen UNG students from the College of Education participated in the instruction of lessons as pre-service teachers, like UNG senior Chelsea Southerland, who is pursuing a degree in middle grades education.  

"I am very happy that I decided to participate. I learned a lot from the young students and built relationships with other pre-service teachers here at UNG. The Summer Scholars STEM Institute is perfect practice because you lead your classroom, create the lesson plans, handouts, activities, and really get a feel on classroom management," Southerland said.

"We have a very multilingual population in the U.S., and many states don't require students to take certain courses," Vazquez Dominguez said. "UNG not only provides opportunities to take those courses, but it also shows it is okay to use your first language to learn."

For more than 20 years, Arcelia Dalton has been teaching science and is currently a sixth-grade science teacher at Buford Middle School in Buford, Georgia. Dalton has worked with the Summer Scholars STEM Institute for the last two years and shared her love for this program. She helps pre-service teachers ensure that their lessons and activities are culturally and linguistically relevant to the students.

"As a former English language learner student myself, I wish a program like this would have been available to me to help me transition to the next school year," Dalton said. "I have found that this is a learning experience, not only for the pre-service teachers but also for myself. I love seeing how the pre-service teachers use the resources and make them their own."

The Summer Scholars STEM Institute, a longstanding university-community partnership, lasts for 15 days each June and is free to all students who participate. The institute provides free healthy lunches and snacks and enhanced experiential learning, while transportation is provided by local districts.

"Our partnership with local districts and our funders has made this summer opportunity possible. For that we are so very grateful," Dr. Sheri Hardee, dean of the College of Education, said.