Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC)/ORNL Math-Science-Technology Summer Institute
The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC)–Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Summer Institute for Math/Science/Technology is a two-week summer program that provides high school students and teachers from the Appalachian region the opportunity to work with scientists from ORNL on inquiry-based, applied projects in science, math, and computer technology. The Summer Institute is administered for ARC by ORISE; it has been in operation since 1990. It culminates with group, student and teacher, presentations about their projects. Activities other than research are incorporated in the program to promote teamwork, expose students to college opportunities, and promote pride in the cultural richness and historical importance of the Appalachian region.
The goals of the program are to (1) encourage more high school students to continue their studies beyond high school; (2) encourage more students to pursue careers in the projected shortage areas of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM); and (3) raise the level of math, science, and technology instruction in high schools throughout the region to facilitate the first two goals.
A review of the program, for data from 1997 through 2004, can be downloaded from www.arc.gov. At this site, you can also access examples of the research and other activities engaged in during previous Summer Institutes.