Step / Proyecto Access
In 1996, in response to the decline of freshman engineering enrollment among minority students, NASA funded the Proyecto Access New York Pre-Freshsman Engineering program (NYPREP). The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) developed the project in conjunction with eight institutions of higher learning. Now operating in nine cities, the program recruits high achieving middle and high school students and enrolls them in a rigorous summer curriculum of pre-engineering, problem solving, logic, computer science, algebraic structures, physics and internet technologies.
The program is designed to identify social and economically disadvantaged middle and high school students with the potential to become scientists or engineers and provide them with academic enrichment and reinforcement in the pursuit of these fields.
The STEP/Proyecto Access Program is an academically intense, seven-week, summer program that stresses the development of abstract reasoning and problem solving skills. It provides a rigorous, engaging, high quality education for all its participants. It places particular emphasis on learner-centered instruction, technology uses in classroom instruction, and preparation of students for the transition from school to the high technology workplace. The STEP/Proyecto Access Program encourages the participation of achieving women and minority students so that they will continue through college graduation with majors in science, engineering, and other mathematics-based disciplines.
Step/Proyecto Access' Website: proyectoaccess-hostoscc.org
