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Education by Engagement
CULTURAL EXPERIENCES
Upward Bound offers participants a number of unique opportunities that are available only to Upward Bound and TRiO students. To be considered for participation in these events, students are expected to fully participate in Upward Bound school based meetings, attend Saturday College Meetings, and remain in good standing with the program and high school community. Upward Bound is a college preparatory program, so students are expected to work hard academically, complete homework assignments, and attend classes regularly. In addition to the leadership trip offered at the beginning of our summer program, students meeting our expectations, may be selected to participate in additional program sponsored college and career experiences.
MAGIC OF STEM PROGRAM
During the 2018-19 academic year Upward Bound received additional grant funding to support STEM related programming. Using these funds Upward Bound designed the Magic of STEM program. Thirteen Northern Vermont University Upward Bound students, attending six area high schools successfully completed a unique STEM Leadership Program. Over a period of 3 months, these students engaged in STEM intensive weekend workshops building toward a 4-day field experience in Orlando, Florida that included programs at the Kennedy Space Center and Walt Disney World. The Magic of STEM curriculum was developed in conjunction with the T3 Alliance. Employing the vision and resources of the Teaching Through Technologies (T3) Alliance, this program was designed to support the ideals of creating a replicable, adaptable, and scalable curriculum to increase the STEM interest and engagement of high school students.
Reflecting back on the experience Enosburg Senior, Jenna Hansen stated, “Ultimately, this was a hands-on STEM program; however, that statement doesn’t do it justice. The Magic of STEM Leadership program could easily be creating the next generation of NASA scientists or Disney Imagineers, via our first-hand experiences.”
This experience was 11 out of 10 for learning and discovery.
CORAL REEF PROJECT
In February 2020, eleven students and three staff members from the Northern Vermont University-Johnson Upward Bound STEM program traveled to Florida to research coral reef restoration. The STEM group spent a week in Summerland, Florida at the MOTE Marine Laboratory, alongside world renowned scientists to gain a better understanding of how climate change is greatly affecting the coral reef systems of the world.
Students experienced an in-depth exploration of the biology and systems of coral reefs; particularly focusing on the effects of climate change as well as coral reef restoration.
ELIZABETH MOORE INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR CORAL REEF RESEARCH & RESTORATION
