This summer, close to 300 New York City middle and high school students are immersing themselves in cutting-edge science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) research and hands-on learning, thanks to NYU Tandon School of Engineering’s free, summer education program, the biggest of its kind in the city.
Since NYU Tandon’s Center for K12 STEM Education launched in 2011, thousands of motivated young people ages 12 to 17 — predominantly from public schools in all five boroughs and reflecting demographic and income groups traditionally underrepresented in STEM fields — have completed rigorous non-credit course tracks covering topics including cybersecurity, urban engineering, sustainability, and noise pollution.
"Expanding access to high-quality STEM education for all students, with a special commitment to New York City's public school students, is a fundamental mission of NYU Tandon's Center for K12 STEM Education," said Ben Esner, the Center's director. "Our tuition-free summer programs are a cornerstone of this commitment, offering resources and a supportive community that exposes curious students to the full breadth of STEM fields. Many participants discover their passion and go on to pursue STEM degrees and careers."
The Center for K12 STEM Education runs five full-time, multi-week summer course tracks that provide full-tuition scholarships for all the students who participate in them.
Students in the Applied Research Innovations in Science and Engineering (ARISE) track join NYU Tandon labs, contributing to vital research there. The four other tracks each focus on a different subject area and feature lessons from experts and mentors, including alumni from the program who are now pursuing STEM degrees of their own.
The tuition-free course tracks are made possible through support from foundations, industry and public partners and the federal government. They run from July to early August. ARISE students will present their work at a colloquium on August 9, while the other program students will display their final projects at an Expo on August 2.
The five courses are:
Applied Research Innovations in Science and Engineering (ARISE)
Students contribute to high-level academic research by joining NYU faculty labs, working under the mentorship of graduate and postdoctoral students there. This year, about 70 ARISE students, all of whom completed 10th or 11th grade as of this spring, will work in 30+ NYU labs in Brooklyn and Manhattan. The program starts in-person on July 1 and concludes at the August 9th colloquium featuring student presentations. The Pinkerton Foundation supports ARISE.
Innovation, Entrepreneurship and the Science of Smart Cities (ieSoSC)
NYU Tandon's “areas of excellence” include sustainability and urban engineering. This track brings that to life by teaching students how to solve real-world urban challenges by marrying entrepreneurialism and engineering ingenuity. Using microcontrollers, sensors, circuitry, coding, and cloud computing, around 26 students – who have just completed grades 9, 10 and 11 – team up to invent new technologies intended to improve urban life. The course starts on July 1 and concludes with students displaying their inventions at the August 2nd Expo. National Grid supports ieSOSC, and Con Edison and Winston Foundation also provide funding.
Science of Smart Cities (SoSC)
A middle-school version of ieSoSC, the approximately 84 students enrolled completed 6th or 7th grade this spring. The program starts on July 8 and concludes with presentations at the Expo on August 2. Con Edison supports SoSC, with additional contributions from Winston Foundation and National Grid.
Sounds of New York City (SONYC) I & II
Students learn about noise pollution, and develop technologies that can monitor sound. The approximately 40 students enrolled completed grades 7 or 8 this spring. The program starts on July 8, and concludes with presentations at the August 2nd Expo. Con Edison and Winston Foundation provide support.
Computer Science for Cyber Security (CS4CS)
Digital privacy and security are at the forefront of all computer science advances, and NYU Tandon has led research and education in this space for a decade plus. With the longtime support of DTCC, the premier post-trade market infrastructure for the global financial services industry, CS4CS teaches the fundamentals of cybersecurity and computer science by delving into topics including “white hat” hacking, online privacy and digital forensics. The approximately 70 participants all completed either 8th, 9th, 10th, or 11th grade this spring. The program runs July 15 to August 9.
The application and interview process for the competitive free program takes place each spring and is open to New York City residents.
NYU Tandon’s commitment to K12 education extends to offering tuition-based summer courses for high school students from around the country and the world in topics including machine learning, robotics, emerging media and more. This enables the Center to educate nearly 600 students in total this summer.
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