The Johns Hopkins University (JHU) Whiting School of Engineering (WSE) and the National Inventors Hall of Fame (NIHF) are interested in investigating ways to get more high school students interested in the sciences. In this research there is a need to know how a research university and its corporate partners motivate students to consider their academic and career options in STEM through an abbreviated research mentoring. In the program teams of students, teachers and expert mentors will participate in an urban initiative pilot to understand, document and assess how to create a long-term model for other school systems across the United States. The program consists of a group of conferences that is based on mentoring by professionals in Science/Technology/Engineering/Mathematics (STEM) fields and by Inventors in the same areas of expertise. Existing teachers involved in the Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) program from the Engineering Research Centers (ERCs) around the USP sites will bring their students to the conferences. The project provides a collaboration between NSF's Engineering and Educational Directorates through the Engineering Research Centers that involves teachers in the RET program and the USP program.
