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MAKING A DIFFERENCE
saint anne’s
terrace
“I’ve been involved with the community
since 1960 and I was on the very first board here at
Saint Anne’s Terrace. It’s a beautiful part of town
and the best part about living here is the wonderful
family atmosphere in which everyone gets along."
Resident since
November 2006
Enjoy retirement by living your way at
Saint Annes Terrace in the heart of Buckhead!
Call us to schedule your visit
3100 Northside Parkway, NW Atlanta 30327
www.saintannesterrace.org • 404-238-9200
discover
the possibilities at
St. Martin’s
Episcopal School
Beginners (3-year-olds)
through 8th grade
Extended-day program
available
Preparation for Atlanta's
top high schools
Open House
February 5, 2015, 9:00 am
Early Childhood
February 10, 2015, 9:00 am
Elementary & Middle School
Welcoming Christian
environment
Scan the
code to learn
more about
St. Martin's.
Questions? Contact the Admissions Office
at 404.228.0709 or visit stmartinschool.org.
St. Martin’s
*4* EPISCOPAL SCHOOL
3110-A Ashford Dunwoody Rd.
Atlanta, GA 30319
ENGAGING STUDENTS
Program offers science, math, engineering & technology
By Clare S. Richie
Katrina Burch, a Coretta Scott King
Young Women’s Leadership Academy
high school senior, recently took her
first plane ride to present her research
findings at the American Society for
Cell Biology Annual Meeting, thanks
to Georgia Tech’s Project ENGAGES
(Engaging New Generations at Georgia
Tech through Engineering and Science).
Many minority high school students
with an interest and aptitude for science,
math, engineering and technology
(STEM) are not aware of the education
and career paths available to them.
“Efforts to increase under-represented
students in STEM universities must
reach students in grades K-12,” explained
Georgia Tech professor Dr. Robert
Nerem, who founded Project ENGAGES
with colleague Dr. Manu Platt in 2013.
The seed of the idea for Project
ENGAGES was likely planted more than
a decade ago.
In 2000, Nerem invited then
Morehouse College senior, Manu Platt
to work in his Georgia Tech research
lab. Manu was already interested
in biomedical engineering, but this
experience led him to complete his PhD
and become a Georgia Tech professor.
“I didn’t know this path existed,” Platt
said, crediting Nerem’s mentorship for
opening his eyes to different possibilities.
Hands-on lab experience and
mentorship are key to Project
ENGAGES’ efforts to expose students
under-represented in STEM fields to
the possibilities of the STEM world.
The program is a partnership between
Georgia Tech and three Atlanta Public
Schools (APS), Coretta Scott King Young
Women’s Leadership Academy, B.E.S.T
Academy and KIPP Atlanta Collegiate,
whose students are predominantly
African American and receive either free
or reduced lunches. With partial funding
from the National Science Foundation
Center for Emergent Behaviors of
Integrated Cellular Systems (EBICS), the
program provides hands-on research,
enhanced science classroom experiences,
an after-school club, and teacher training.
The most unique component of
the Project ENGAGES is paid student
research. With mentoring from Georgia
Tech graduate students or postdoctoral
researchers, high school juniors and
seniors conduct a 12-month research
project presenting their progress
several times throughout the year,
and competing in the Atlanta science
fair. The student selection process is
rigorous, including an application,
letters of recommendation, transcript,
resume, essay parental consent and panel
interview.
The schedule is also demanding.
Starting in the summer, students learn
research skills, soft skills (like diversity/
inclusion awareness, time management,
and oral presentations), and work in
the lab full-time. During the school
year, students like returning senior Jade
Special
APS student Jade works in the lab.
Johnson, attend class in the morning at
their high school, spend the afternoon in
the Georgia Tech lab, head back to their
high school for clubs or sports practice
and hit the books at night.
In less than two years, Project
ENGAGES can already boast strong
results. Of the 12 students who started
in June 2013, 10 completed the year-long
research project, eight advanced from
the Atlanta science fair to the Georgia
science fair, and two participated in the
2014 Intel International Engineering and
Science Fair held in Los Angeles. The
five graduating seniors all started college
studying STEM fields. For 2014-2015,
the paid research program has nearly
doubled, including returning seniors like
Jade.
This year, Jade is working with breast
cancer cells to figure out how to stop
them from spreading. “We’re high school
students doing things college students
do - we’re getting a better advantage and
exposure to college,” Jade said. She also
credits the program with helping her
“open up to public speaking”. In fact, she
agreed to speak at the upcoming Martin
Luther King, Jr. Annual Commemorative
Service at Ebenezer Baptist Church.
Project ENGAGES even follows its
students beyond high school. “We stay
in touch with them and want them to be
successful in life,” Platt said. And over
time, students who participated can
also become peer mentors to the new
students.
The influence of this effort extends
beyond the participating students.
“Long-term this program is also having a
positive impact on Georgia Tech faculty
and community” By interacting with
African American APS high school
students, Georgia Tech scientists and
students experience the value of diversity
in the lab and on campus.
What’s next for this innovative
program? According to Nerem,
“Expansion at Georgia Tech depends
mainly on additional resources.” Another
hope is that other research universities
will adopt the Project ENGAGES
model on their campus. Collectively
these efforts could bring more
underrepresented students into STEM
fields and put them on a path for high
achievement and success. ESI
20 January 2015 | INtOWIl
AtlantalNtownPaper.com
