Summer at Smith College

Summer Science & Engineering Program

Zomerprogramma voor wetenschap en techniek (SSEP)

Het Smith Summer Science and Engineering Program (SSEP) is bedoeld voor uitzonderlijke middelbare scholieren met een sterke interesse in wetenschap en techniek. Doe mee aan praktijkgericht onderzoek met de Smith-faculteit in levens- en natuurwetenschappen en in techniek. Het programma, opgericht in 1990, bedient jaarlijks meer dan 100 studenten. Sinds de oprichting hebben bijna 1.800 studenten deelgenomen, die 46 staten en 53 landen vertegenwoordigen. Na het programma keren de deelnemers terug naar de middelbare school, beter voorbereid op het volgen van zware wetenschappelijke cursussen en begrijpen ze wat ze op de universiteit kunnen verwachten.

Smith College is among the top-rated liberal arts colleges in the United States and one of the nation's largest colleges dedicated solely to the education of women. The Smith science faculty employs some of the finest researchers and teachers in the country. In 1999 Smith became the first women's college in the nation to establish its own program in engineering science, the Picker Engineering Program.

Central to the program is a learning environment that is rich in role models. SSEP offers hands-on, cooperative, investigative, and challenging learning—where girls get all of the faculty's attention as well as the opportunities and encouragement to achieve their best. Smith undergraduate students with science majors also serve as teaching assistants.

Research Courses

Unlike regular school classes, SSEP research courses emphasize asking questions and learning by doing, not only by listening and watching.

Students choose two two-week research courses; in these, groups of up to 17 students work alongside Smith faculty members, assisted by undergraduate interns. Informal lectures in the laboratory and out in the field encourage students to ask research questions, and they learn to conduct actual experiments. Most of the work is carried out as a cooperative team effort, with ample opportunities for individual contributions. SSEP participants learn how scientists and engineers formulate questions, work on amazingly sophisticated scientific instruments, and develop valuable critical thinking and analytical skills.