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OEOP
welcomes new
STEM Program Coordinator
Ryan Rucker
This week, we welcome Ryan Rucker as the new coordinator for the STEM Program, our summer institute and academic-year mentoring program for middle school students who attend Boston, Cambridge and Lawrence public schools. Ryan joins us from the University of Oklahoma where she served as the graduate assistant for Sooner Upward Bound.
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Update:
Alumni complete
Google CSSI
Last month, we highlighted two of our alumni who were participating in Google's Computer Science Summer Institute (CSSI). A total of nine OEOP alumni recently completed the program, learning Python, HTML, JavaScript, CSS, and Google App Engine and completing a project in just three weeks!
Those students were:
MITES '12
Pedro Garzon
Diana Hernandez
Reynis Vazquez
E2 '12
Sinclaire Hamilton
Klarizsa Padilla
Monica Yupa
MOSTEC '12
Ikechi Akujobi
Terrence Burkhalter
Ellen Yuan
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Thank you,
MITES alumni!
Thank you to the dozens of MITES alumni representing nearly a decade of MITES classes who attended the Alumni Reception following the Symposium on July 19! We will follow up with more information and photos from the event soon.
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Give to OEOP
Without the generous support of friends of the office like you, we wouldn't be able to offer our programs free of charge to our incredible students.
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Dear friends,
Campus continued to buzz with activity this month as nearly 200 middle and high school students from our programs joined us here every day!
This month, we welcomed students of our two middle school programs. The Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Program launched a new session on July 8 with over 90 students who attend Boston, Cambridge and Lawrence public schools. Those students are studying exciting curriculum well beyond their grade level, including physics, engineering design, and robotics. We were thrilled to see this program highlighted in the Bay State Banner earlier this month.
On July 1, we welcomed 20 middle school boys to the MIT Science of Baseball Program (MSBP). Every morning, these students study topics ranging from physics to statistics as they relate to baseball. In the afternoons, they apply what they have learned in scrimmages on the MIT baseball fields. Our instructional staff is doing a fantastic job teaching our students critical concepts in math and science by leveraging their love of baseball.
Last Friday marked the conclusion of Minority Introduction to Engineering and Science (MITES). I was impressed by these students' outstanding work throughout the program, especially as shown through their projects at the Final Presentations Symposium on July 19. I hope to see them back on campus soon as we welcome them into our alumni community.
Sincerely,
Shawna Young
Executive Director
Office of Engineering Outreach Programs
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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NASA discusses next manned spacecraft with MITES students
 | | MITES students and others ask a panel questions about the Orion spacecraft. The panel featured NASA representatives (from left to right) Rex Walheim, Sharon Cobb, and Mark Geyer. |
Approximately 100 high school students and recent graduates from across the country - studying at MIT this summer as part of Minority Introduction to Engineering and Science (MITES), Women's Technology Program (WTP), and Interphase Edge - gathered for a panel discussion on NASA's Orion spacecraft on Tuesday, July 16. NASA Orion Program Manager Mark Geyer gave a presentation, which was followed by a question-and-answer session with Geyer; Rex Walheim, NASA's Orion program astronaut representative; and Sharon Cobb, NASA Space Launch System assistant program manager.
Geyer led students through the three central components of the Orion project: the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Space Launch System that will lift Orion to its destinations, and the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) itself.
The Orion MPCV, which has been in development since 2005, will be the country's next manned spacecraft. The spacecraft is intended to carry astronauts to the Moon, to near-earth asteroids, and to Mars. The first uncrewed test flight, Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) is scheduled to occur in 2014. Orion will fly 3,600 miles into space before returning to Earth. The first crewed flight is projected to occur in 2021.
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Former Toronto Blue Jays G.M. speaks to MSBP students
 | | MSBP students and staff participated in a question-and-answer session with Major League Baseball executive J.P. Ricciardi (front, far right). |
Major League Baseball executive J.P. Ricciardi spoke to 30 students and staff members of the MIT Science of Baseball Program (MSBP) on July 8. In the hour-long, informal seminar, Ricciardi answered questions about the business of baseball and urged students to pursue fulfilling careers.
"Whatever you do in life, you have to love it," Ricciardi said. Among his many roles in baseball, Ricciardi served as the general manager of the Toronto Blue Jays from 2001 to 2009 and is currently the special assistant to the general manager of the New York Mets. He played minor league baseball for two years.
Ricciardi stressed the importance of academics, noting that only a small percentage of baseball players ever play in the major leagues. He touched on some of the hurdles of adolescence and challenged the students, all rising eighth and ninth grade boys who all attend Boston or Cambridge public schools, to associate with friends who will support their long-term goals.
"Life is all about taking advantage of opportunities," Ricciardi said.
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Media Lab researcher delights and educates STEM students with creative apps
 | | Eric Rosenbaum (left) demonstrates his creative software MaKey MaKey to four STEM students. |
On Friday, July 19, students of the MIT Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Summer Institute learned about entertaining applications of electrical engineering and computer science from Eric Rosenbaum, a researcher at the MIT Media Lab, as part of the program's weekly speaker series. Rosenbaum demonstrated four interactive programs that mixed art, music, and technology:
This was the second session of the Friday speaker series. STEM Program Coordinator Derek Ham encouraged students to take advantage of the series to "see STEM at work in areas you may never have thought could be applied."
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