Wesleyan University, in association with the Connecticut Pre-Engineering Program (CPEP) and major Connecticut organizations, will establish an Urban Young Scholars Program. The purpose of this project is to prepare predominantly minority disadvantaged secondary students in mathematics and science, to undertake guided research projects, and to formulate their own career goals and academic needs. Target population for the project will be 45 disadvantaged students from Hartford, new Haven, and Bridgeport and 15 other Connecticut youth who all are entering the 9th and 10th grades. Students from Hartford, New Haven, and Bridgeport and other towns will participate in a 5 day a week summer residential program at Wesleyan. A major framework for interdisciplinary learning will be the NSF supported Science, Technology and Society (STS)curriculum. Students will choose to major in either Physics, Chemistry, or Biology, taking a related minor. Strong emphasis will be placed upon mathematics and computer learning throughout the curriculum. Separate activities for the Philosophy and Ethics of Science and Career Exploration will be presented. Senior project staff will include Wesleyan faculty, master high school teachers, and guest speakers who reflect varied academic, cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Supporting senior staff will be college student mentors/tutors and prospective teachers interning on Wesleyan's campus. Wesleyan, Choate Rosemary Hall, and the Connecticut Pre-Engineering Program will provide follow up activities throughout the 1989-90 school year for the 60 students. The proposed project, thus, will develop year-round connections among these three mathematics and science enrichment programs, offering a bridge for middle school CPEP students to the 11th and 12th grade Connecticut Scholars Program at Choate Rosemary Hall.
