This summer marked the 10^th anniversary of two STEM outreach programs at St. Bonaventure University that have made a lasting impact on nearly 200 students and area educators.

The High School Student Research Program pairs high school juniors or sophomores with SBU faculty members to work on authentic research projects on cutting-edge STEM topics in a field of the student’s choice.

The annual two-week program aims to provide high-quality and motivated high school students with a unique experiential learning opportunity in a college-level research setting before they apply for college.

During lunch most days, researchers and experts from different STEM fields share their insights into students’ career paths and give them advice on how to prepare for future success.

This year alone, the 12 students tackled research in eight different scientific disciplines:

• Biochemistry
• Biopsychology
• Computational Chemistry
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Material/Organic Chemistry
• Mechanical/Electrical Engineering
• Microbiology
• Spectroscopy
  

The student summer program and teacher workshop were founded by Dr. Xiao-Ning Zhang, professor of Biology at SBU.

“Our missions for these STEM outreach programs are to provide accessible, high-quality experiential learning opportunities to high school students and K-12 faculty in area schools; to bridge the gap between high school and college education; and to establish a process of college readiness that leads to career readiness and early career success,” Zhang said.

In all, 85 students have taken part in the program, hailing from nine states and two countries other than the U.S. Of that number, 17 ended up attending St. Bonaventure. The average cumulative GPA of those 17 students is 3.68.

“The program for high schoolers that Dr. Zhang has developed is one of the best examples of academic outreach to the community that I’ve seen since I’ve been at Bonaventure,” said Dr. David Hilmey, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs. “It really is a tribute to not only Xiao-Ning, but all of the faculty in the sciences who have worked with these students over the last decade.”

The K-12 Math & Science Teacher Workshop has attracted 118 teachers, school administrators and curriculum directors from 20 different schools — 15 from Cattaraugus, Allegany and Chautauqua counties — over the last 10 years.

The workshop’s goal is to increase communication and collaborations among STEM faculty at St. Bonaventure and school districts as well as Cattaraugus-Allegany BOCES staff, and provide a hands-on experience for K-12 math and science faculty to develop STEM-integrated lesson plans that will be transferable to K-12 classrooms to provoke student interests and enhance student learning in STEM fields.

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About the University: The nation’s first Franciscan university, St. Bonaventure is a community committed to transforming the lives of its students inside and outside the classroom, inspiring in them a commitment to academic excellence and lifelong civic engagement. Out of 167 regional universities in the North, St. Bonaventure was ranked #6 for value and #14 for innovation by U.S. News and World Report (2024).