VOL. 3, ISSUE 1 FALL 2016

Top Stories

Winter Session Money for College My Experience at BU Student Life

Welcome to the Fall 2016 edition of Bloomsburg University’s STEM Magnet-ic News; the

only e-newsletter with news from the STEM Magnet program and information about the

STEM field. This newsletter gives you information about what students are doing in the

program and ideas about future events including the Winter Break Program and thoughts

for the next step after college.

Fall 2016 has been an exceptional semester in many ways. As you all are aware, we

just went through an unprecedented faculty strike at Bloomsburg University. We would

like to thank the students, parents, and school districts for working with us through this difficult and stressful time.

Thankfully we are now back to normal operation and will continue to provide the high level of education that all are

expecting of Bloomsburg University. In other fall news, we are excited to announce that we started this semester with

a total of 33 juniors who have entered the program as well as 21 seniors returning to the program. This year, we have

added a new track to the program and now have students in engineering, health sciences, and technology! Six juniors

have joined us for this new track and we know that this will be one that will see much growth in the upcoming years.

Speaking of growth, we welcome a new school district, Line Mountain School District, and their students. This brings

our total to twelve with Benton, Berwick, Bloomsburg, Central Columbia, Danville, Millville, Milton, Montgomery,

Southern Columbia, and Warrior Run Area School Districts and Columbia-Montour Area Vo-Tech School.

Another new addition to the STEM Magnet Program this year is Samantha Rhatigan, a graduate student in Educational

Leadership in the College of Education, who will be working with the juniors as a Graduate Assistant. You will hear more

about Samantha as she talks about her experiences at Bloomsburg University as an undergraduate student, alumni and

full-time graduate student.

We are so excited to see the growth in our program! Hopefully after reading this newsletter you will have a better under-

standing of what the STEM Magnet Program is all about and some future plans are for our students in the program. As

always, if you have questions or would like to learn more about the STEM Magnet program, feel free to contact Dr.

Kimberly Bolig, director, at kbolig@bloomu.edu or by calling (570) 389-4608. Also visit out page http://www.bloomu.edu/

stem

a My Experience at Bloomsburg University

To Future Bloomsburg Students,

My name is Samantha Rhatigan. I am a Graduate Student in the

Educational Leadership Program for School Counseling K-12. Before I

attended Bloomsburg University I went to two different schools, College of

the Canyons in Santa Clarita, California and Mansfield University in

Mansfield, Pennsylvania. I never felt comfortable at either of these

colleges. Instead I felt like I was a million miles away. When I transferred to

Bloomsburg University in 2014, I knew after two months I knew that this is

where I wanted to be. Bloomsburg University feels like home to me. The

professors that I had were very helpful and understanding. Going to

Bloomsburg University was one of the best decisions of my life.

When I was looking into Graduate Schools I didn’t want to admit to myself

that I was leaving. When I was informed of the School Counseling Program

here at Bloomsburg I knew it was fate. I love this school so much. I can call

it my second home without hesitation. I have made so many wonderful

memories. I have met so many students, professors, and administrators

who have impacted my life. Everything I learned at Bloomsburg will remain

through the rest of my future plans.

Did you know ..

… Bloomsburg University offers 56 undergraduate majors, 51 undergraduate minors, and 21 graduate programs?

… the College of Science & Technology at Bloomsburg University has 22 different programs and over 22 different student clubs?

… the College of Education offers degrees that can lead to a STEM teaching position (with an anticipated 72,000 positions by 2011)?

… that the nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer (NRM) in Hartline Science Center is as large as a commercial refrigerator and enables detailed information about molecular structure of samples?

… that the Solar Kiosk Monitors on campus, completed in 2013, educate the BU community about solar energy, energy use, and energy-saving strategies?

… there are two doctoral programs at BU—Clinical Audiology and Nursing Practice?

…. the College of Science and Technology building is one of the largest and most modern science buildings in Northeastern PA?

…. BU undergraduates have the opportunity to pursue academic research with faculty mentors, an opportunity other institutions often reserve for grad students.

… BU and Geisinger Medical Center have a strong partnership for nursing students.

… the College of Science and Technology programs of study are: Audiology and Speech Pathology, Biology and Allied Health Sciences, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Geography, Compute Science, Digital Forensics, Exercise Science, Environmental/Geographical/Geological Sciences, Instructional Technology, Mathematics, and Physics/Health Physics/Electronics Engineering Technology.

… BU has a campus-wide initiative called Professional U that combines career services with academic internships, alumni engagement, and professional development to help you build a network and experience for your future job search.

… through BU there are many opportunities to study abroad in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas?

Now that I am a graduate assistant in the STEM Magnet Program, I have the opportunity to work with the students

one-on-one. I help students develop study skills for college exams, I share my experiences to students to give them an

idea of what college life is all about, and I help tutor students in statistics so that they will succeed in the class. I love

how I get to interact with the students and I am looking forward to sharing more as the semester goes on.

STEM Program Student Life STEM Magnet Students Excel at Governor’s School

Grace Miller and Haewon “Jerry” Park, STEM Magnet students from Central Columbia

High School, attended a competitive Governor’s School for Sciences at Carnegie Mellon

University this past summer. This five-week event included 60 of the best STEM students

from around the state of Pennsylvania. Grace, Jerry, and three other CC classmates

placed second in the competition for their design involving 3D printing of artificial coral to

restore reef habitat around the world. The STEM Magnet Program offers its

congratulations to Grace and Jerry!

Student Interviews Ever wonder what students think about the STEM Magnet Program? We did! So we checked in with our first semester juniors to get their thoughts on the program after being here for six weeks.

Health Sciences

Students in the health sciences track said that what they like most about the STEM

Magnet Program is that they have the opportunity to get college credits in high

school. Many said that it is very helpful because it allows them to transition to

college earlier than other high school students. Most stated that they enjoy both

statistics and medical ethics, even though medical ethics was challenging at first.

However, once they learned more of the material it has definitely intrigued them.

Many of these Juniors decided to enter the STEM program to challenge their

learning. Students want to maximize their knowledge of the career path they have chosen. Students enjoy that they can

get college credits for at a discount. Many of the students said that they would encourage a friend to join because of

how beneficial it is in the long run to save now in high school rather than paying for credits as a college student.

Engineering/Technology

Students in the engineering/technology track like that college is challenging. Many have expressed how their high school

is not doing a great job at preparing them for the career path they want to do so they like how the STEM Program allows

them to do this. Many of the students say they like both of their classes because they are challenging. A couple of the

students think that the intro to engineering is not what they were expecting and they are working to adjust to that. All of

the students want to get ahead with college credits because they don’t want to waste money. Students also want to

graduate earlier. All of the students said that they would recommend to a friend that it is a great way to get college

credits at such an early age and that it will help them succeed in the future because they are challenged in college rather

than not challenged in high school.

Spending a Week at Camp

Sana Ahmed could have spent a week this summer working at the local fast food

restaurant or taking a beach vacation. Instead, she volunteered to help out at the

Great STEM Adventure Camps on Bloomsburg University’s campus. During the

mornings, Sana worked with Dr. Scott Inch from the Mathematics & Digital Sciences

Department with the Innovator’s camp. This camp had 8th grade students from Line

Mountain high school learning to code and how to retrieve deleted files. Each afternoon, Sana assisted graduate

students from the College of Education to demonstrate STEAM projects with all of the campers. We very much

appreciated having Sana join us this summer as the camps tripled this summer to 240 campers! Thanks, Sana for all

you did to educate and encourage young campers to explore the world of STEM!

a Money for College

In High School, filling out college applications, writing essays, and taking

the SATs can take a lot of time and money, but it is only the beginning of a

four-year journey. Planning for college is more than figuring out what major

you want to do, it’s also about how you will pay for college. Not everyone is

lucky enough to have a savings account for college. Before you make the

decision to take out loans each year think about applying for scholarships.

For some scholarship applications its as easy as filling out information

about yourself, others may require a short essay about a certain topic.

Either way filling out scholarship applications is an easy way to pay for

college and it will only take you a couple minutes to fill out. Think about how

much money you could save yourself in the future by taking some time now

while you have it. All you need to do is find some scholarship opportunities

and apply by the deadline. To help start your scholarship search, here are

some suggestions:

Online Resource Sites to Find Scholarships:

Fastweb: Leading online resource in finding scholarships. Offers targeted scholarships, college search, financial aid information, and career advice.

Cappex: College decision headquarters that helps with college search, college reviews, and finding

scholarships.

Individual STEM Scholarships:

Bloomsburg University scholarships: A list of the scholarships that are awarded for those students who are at-

tending Bloomsburg University. Please note that the deadline to apply is February 6.

AACE International Competitive Scholarships: $2,000 - $8,000 academic scholarships to full-time students pursuing a

related degree in engineering, construction management, building construction, computer sciences, business, quantity

surveying, information technology, etc. Deadline is February 15.

Society of Women Engineers Lehigh Valley Section: award to women graduating from area high schools in more than

20 counties in PA and enrolling in an engineering program in the fall. Deadline is February 9.

PA State System of Higher Education Foundation Inc.: Various scholarship programs that supports students attending

any of the 14 PASSHE universal-ties. Over the past three years, $1 million has been awarded in total scholarships.

Society of Women Engineers —: or women who pursue a career in engineering, engineering technology and comput-

er science. $1,000—$20,000 each. Deadline May 15.

Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers Scholarships: More than $2 million in scholarships for Hispanic college

students pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering and math. Applications must be post- marked by

May 1st.

American Nuclear Society Incoming Freshman Scholarship: Awarded to graduating high school seniors who have en-

rolled, full-time, in college courses and are pursuing a degree in nuclear engineering or have the intent to pursue a

degree in nuclear engineering. Deadline is April 1.

Go College: Offers suggestions for scholarships in a variety of health sciences fields including nursing, biomedical

studies, pharmaceutical science, dental medicine, public health, and physical therapy. Deadlines vary.

Cognizant Making the Future Scholarship Program: $5,000 scholarships for students pursuing careers in a STEM

field. Must be eligible to enroll or be currently enrolled at a two– or four-year accredited college or university. Deadline

is March 31.

Winter Session Bloomsburg’s Fall Semester will end on Friday, December 16, 2016 after a

week of finals (Dec. 12-16). Spring semester will begin on Monday, Janu-

ary 23, 2016. During this break between the two semesters, juniors will par-

ticipate in the STEM Magnet Winter Program from January 4-20, 2017.

These students will be involved in 2 1/2 weeks of activities, workshops,

training, and meetings with professional advisors. Workshop programs in-

clude professional communication, resume building/writing, team building

exercises, and other important topics.

Each track will also have activities specific to its interest. The Engineering

& Technical track students will engage with professionals from regional

industries and businesses. Students on the Health Science track the

students will be going to Surgery Live! at the Whitaker Science Center and

working with the faculty from the Nursing Department in the Simulated

Learning Lab, including being trained and certified in CPR.

In addition, all tracks will have the opportunity to work on group projects.

The group projects is part of our own “mini” STEM competition designed to

prepare students to enter the PA STEM Governor’s Competition in the

spring. You can find out more about this competition below.

What is the Governor’s STEM Regional Competition ?

The Governor’s STEM Regional Competition is a learning experience for students to apply 21st century skills sought by

employers and the community. This competition was designed to challenge students to research and solve real-life

problems in Pennsylvania. Exposing high school students to this kind of experience early on will help them throughout

their future and will prepare their young minds. Students will help engage their communities to learn about careers

associated with the STEM Program and the skills that are needed to be successful. Last year in 2015, about 170 teams

(one from each high school) were expected to participate in this competition.

In spring 2016, the team from the Bloomsburg University

STEM Magnet Program took home first place at this

competition. After being selected by a panel of professional

mentors from the group projects presented during the Winter

Break Program 2016, the team of Rose Oast (Bloomsburg),

Mychaela Neal (Berwick), Grace Miller (Central Columbia),

Haewon “Jerry” Park (Central Columbia), and Sana Ahmed

(Danville) addressed the issue of the vanishing of bees

throughout the State of Pennsylvania. To address this issue,

the team created a biodegradable piece of paper with

seeds inside. This paper could then be planted in the ground

to grow native flowers that would attract more bees. The

students created an impressive prezi for their presentation

and commented later on how great the competition is

because it attracts students into engineering.

We look forward to seeing the group projects this year and hope to add another winner to the STEM Magnet Program!

As you can see the STEM Magnet Program has an interesting and fun-filled activities planned for the students in the

program as students work on group projects, get their professional life in order, and bond with professional mentors and

Bloomsburg faculty.