The University of Akron S-STEM program is providing scholarships to a single cohort of students. While stipends are only provided for four years, a five-year matriculation period was chosen to allow the students to include either a co-op or internship appointment as part of their academic program. During their first two years, the S-STEM scholars are participating in a learning community (LC). Courses associated with the LC include: pre-calculus, analytical geometry-calculus, principles of chemistry and a one-credit-hour discussion course. During the summers following their freshman and sophomore years, S-STEM students are being offered the opportunity to participate in a week-long laboratory and team building retreat at The Wilds Conservation Center. During their junior year, the S-STEM participants are meeting in a one-credit course to plan an interdisciplinary team project, which will then be completed as a course project during the students' senior year. To both leverage the university's research expertise and to enable the cohorts to participate in a truly interdisciplinary project, the senior project is in the area of bio-innovation or environmental applications.
