Stevens Institute of Technology: Admissions Blog

The Stevens Summer: Hands-On Programs for High School Students

Stevens Institute of Technology has long been known for its legacy of preparing college students to be leaders and innovators of the future. Did you know that we also prepare pre-college students? 

The Stevens Summer is an ideal way for high school students to gain experience in a particular field, get a feel for campus life, explore New York City, visit Fortune 500 companies in the tri-state area, and interact with peers from around the world. All programs are residential – meaning students live in residence halls on the Stevens campus – are taught by members of our campus academic community and are closely supervised by professional and trained student staff.

Students are immersed in specialized, hands-on programs like the flagship Exploring Career Options in Engineering & Science (ECOES) program, now in its 34^th year.  The program centers around project-based learning exploring many different fields of science and engineering, with students working in teams to accomplish project goals. In addition, they take special trips in and around New York City, all of which are included in the cost of the program.

High school senior Keara Saud was a participant in The Stevens Summer 2011 and said, “ECOES was such a great experience for me on both a social and an academic level. I went into it expecting to gain a better understanding of engineering and left with not only that, but also amazing friends. I don't think I can choose any one thing that I liked most because it was all so great!”

This summer, Stevens is offering three sessions of ECOES to meet growing demand for this highly engaging program: June 17-20, July 8-20, and July 22-August 3.

Last year, Stevens expanded the summer program offerings to provide the same great type of hands-on experience for students interested in careers in business, multimedia production, and computer science. Those programs will be available again this summer.

The Business program is a one-week program that provides an opportunity to develop fundamental business and technical skills and explore interests in business, finance, marketing, management, and entrepreneurship and get a taste of the real world of business students and professionals. Program participants also get to visit the New York Stock Exchange.

“While I hoped to learn about the different elements of a business curriculum, I didn't expect the program to be as interactive as it was. This made it more valuable and enjoyable,” asserts Stephen Rienzi about the Business Summer Intensive. “I really learned a lot not only from the subjects presented, but from the group project and the feedback we were given.”

Two sessions of the Business program are being offered: July 8-15 and July 22-29.

The Multimedia Production program is a two-week program for students interested in visual and audio arts, learning about audio engineering and videography, and working together with professional equipment in the Stevens Media Arts Center, green screen room, and a nearby recording studio  to create a soundtrack and produce a video.

“Little did I know how hands-on it was going to be,” said Cara Realmuto, who was on-campus last summer for the Multimedia Production program. “It was great to start a project from the very beginning and put it all together for a finished product, with professionals helping you along the way.”

The Multimedia Production program will be held July 8-20.

The Computer Science program is an exciting and engaging one-week program that will give students insight into aspects of computer science that fuel, enable, and protect our information-driven economy. This project-based program teaches fundamental problem-solving skills while providing hands-on experience in many of the most exciting areas of computer science today, such as web technologies, cybersecurity, and system administration, among others. Students also get an insider’s view of the professional world with a visit to a Fortune 500 company.

The Computer Science program will be held July 22- July 29

More information about The Stevens Summer can be found online at www.stevens.edu/precollege. The priority deadline to apply is April 1, but applications will be accepted through May 15.

 

The Stevens Summer: Programs for High School Students

July - August 2011

Multimedia Production,  Business, 

or Engineering & Science 

    Each summer, talented high school students from around the world diverge from traditional summer break plans to participate in The Stevens Summer.   Why? 

    Because The Stevens Summer is about challenge, discovery and exploration, in interesting fields of study but also in friendship and fun!  

        

    Add the benefit of Stevens' amazing location, and it's an unbeatable proposition for the summer break.  Living on campus in Hoboken, New Jersey, on the banks of the Hudson River overlooking Manhattan is exciting!      

    If you're a rising junior or senior in high school who is interested in engineering, science, business or multi-media production, The Stevens Summer should be on your radar.  Apply Today!

    Take it from a past participant...                                           

"Every day was a new adventure into the world of engineering. We worked together in labs with professors from the college and met with professionals in the field from large companies like Becton Dickinson and Schering-Plough. One of the most rewarding parts of the program was learning about each specific field in engineering, ranging from mechanical to chemical engineering, through real field lab experience. We also competed in numerous engineering competitions: a programming competition (my group won!), a naval engineering design competition (we sank), and a chemical-biology bubble gum competition (we won - pineapple flavor!), among many others. However, the program brought much more into my life than experience in engineering. It brought me a taste of college life." 

     

What More Could a New Student Ask For?

Incoming Stevens students get a serious dose of the skills and connections they need to help transition to their new life at college, and they have a lot of fun in the process. By the conclusion of Orientation week, new students have not only become acquainted with Stevens but also have very likely cultivated the kind of friendships that last throughout their studies here and well beyond graduation. That is true for Orientation Leaders Zoe Elliott and Alyssa Antropow, who met as freshmen during Orientation activities last year, became fast friends, and returned this year as roommates and Orientation Leaders helping 615 new students get acquainted with each other and everything that Stevens has to offer.

 Among the new freshmen was incoming biomedical engineering major Alexa Morales, who, like many incoming residents, got her first taste of student solidarity during Orientation check-in, her parents Ramona and Tony Morales (Center in photo) in tow. Zoe, Alyssa, and junior Richard Wismer assisted Alexa outside the Samuel C. Williams Library – and less than an hour before Alexa’s parents departed campus. Alexa said she looked forward to classes and the experience of living on her own away from home for the first time. She said she fell in love with Stevens during a college visit and her enrollment in the Exploring Career Options in Engineering & Science (ECOES) program at Stevens the summer before her senior year at Middeltown High School North. Her advice to those beginning their college search? “Start Early!” she said. Erika participated in Stevens’ Early Decision program and highly recommends this option to those whose first choice is Stevens. What was top of mind for her at the onset of her new life at Stevens? “The stress of unpacking but also excitement about making new friends,” she said.   

Many new students got a head start to Orientation week by descending on campus a few days early for Pre-Orientation.  Pre-Orientation included a number of trips destined for outdoor, city life, performing arts, and sports adventures beyond the borders of campus – and all centered on exploring exciting, new activities with peers. This year, all Pre-Orientation activities were filled to capacity.  While some excursions were closer to campus – Hoboken and New York City – others went as far as the High Peaks Region of Adirondack State Park, New York, where students stayed one night at a base camp together and then broke off into smaller camping groups for two days to canoe, hike, mountain bike, or rock climb and returned to base camp for a final night with the larger group.

 Derek Straub, senior mechanical engineering major and Orientation Leader for one of the canoe trips, said that team building skills and friendships are a primary focus of the activities. “Everyone’s much more quiet and reserved on the bus ride up there,” Derek said. “But by the end of the trip, there’s a lot of laughing and storytelling. It really shows how close friendships are formed during experiences like this. You can see how these help incoming students let go of some fears, try new things together, and they absolutely don’t regret it!” While Derek is an experienced explorer, he said the Outdoor Adventure Pre-Orientation activities are recreational and suitable for all.

Rick Lueng, senior chemical biology major and one of two Orientation Coordinators who spent the summer at Stevens planning the Orientation and Pre-Orientation programs this year, enjoyed making some changes to the already outstanding program, one of which included adding a community service activity to the list of options for the weekend trips culminating Orientation – a group of freshmen and their Orientation Leaders visited the Liberty Science Center to lead one of the museum’s educational workshops geared for younger children. “My experience as an Orientation Leader and Coordinator has been great,” Rick said. “I believe it’s extremely encouraging for the freshmen to see excited and enthusiastic upperclassmen to inspire them to want to get involved and hopefully break out of their shells.” 

 Third year literature and communications major Juliet Turalski was an Orientation Leader who helped facilitate the events on campus and, like Zoe and Alyssa, direct freshmen upon their arrival. She gave two thumbs up to the milkshakes at Coffeehouse and the cover band at another event. Juliet also raved about the Orientation Leader training and teambuilding activities this year, which included a trip to see Fuerza Bruta, what she called “one of the coolest shows in the city.” The Freshman Summer Games were also high on her list of Orientation highlights, especially the enthusiasm and spirit she and peer Orientation Leader Herman Saini got to model for their group.  

“The activities and involvement of peer leaders is so important because it is a way for all of us – new students and the Orientation Leaders – to get out of our normal comfort zones and experience another side of ourselves that maybe we didn’t know we had in us,” Juliet said. “Networking and making connections is a valuable tool in life, and I believe we have a great opportunity right here to develop that skill. The Orientation program begins the journey of discovering ‘the new you’, and to have role models like the orientation leaders who make it fun and guide you through the process is encouraging.  The whole experience makes you more open, which makes you enjoy life more. In my opinion, that’s the most important thing to remember!”  

ECOES 2010

High School Sophomores & Juniors, it’s time to start thinking about ECOES 2010. The Exploring Career Options in Engineering and Science (ECOES) program allows high school students to spend two weeks on the Stevens campus, participating in exploratory activities introducing them to engineering, science and technology. Divided into two sessions, Stevens will host rising high school juniors and seniors next summer between July 11 and August 6.
 
An already robust program which has featured research project topics including robotics, chemical biology, planar truss construction and database driven web programming, ECOES 2010 promises even more options. Maia Hadidi, Summer Programs Coordinator and Director of the ECOES program, says: “This year, we are looking to expand our offerings to further enrich the student experience. For example, last year’s music and technology module was so successful, we plan to include more arts modules in the future.” Additionally, the program will feature more guest speakers and site visits to prominent organizations, giving the students access to first-hand professional experience.

In past years, the ECOES sessions have been extremely successful, with many participants parlaying their experience into a college career at Stevens. Maia continues: “I am looking forward to another great year of the program, and another exceptional group of students. It is great to watch students come in year after year and develop not only skills in engineering and science, but also life-long friendships.”

To learn more about ECOES or to apply for Summer 2010, visit: http://www.stevens.edu/sit/admissions/highschool/ecoes.cfm

ECOES 2009

Ever wanted to perform a basic site survey for a proposed building? What about use a wireless electrocardiogram to investigate how your heart works when at rest and after exercise? Or perhaps you’d like to explore how nanoscale phenomena can be exploited to create new products and technologies?

Beginning next week, the Exploring Career Options in Engineering and Science (ECOES) program will allow high school students to spend two weeks on campus doing all of the above and more. Divided into two sessions, Stevens will host almost 120 rising high school juniors and seniors between July 12 and August 7. Students will live on campus and participate in exploratory activities introducing them to engineering, science and technology.

In past years, the ECOES sessions have been extremely successful, with many participants parlaying their experience into a college career at Stevens. This year’s groups include students from many states across the US, including New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, California, Florida and Minnesota, in addition to multiple countries including Greece.

This year, the addition of unique, innovative research projects will help students further hone their skills as they participate in hands-on research, learning and development. Maia Hadidi, Summer Programs Coordinator and Director of the ECOES program, says: “We have introduced a music and technology module this year, which I am very excited about. Our research project options have increased and cover a variety of tracks, allowing students to delve deeper into whichever area their interest lies.” Other research project topics include robotics, chemical biology, planar truss construction and database driven web programming.

Of past programs, Maia continues: “It is so amazing to watch these students come in and develop not only skills in engineering and science, but also camaraderie among their peers. There are ECOES reunions and groups on Facebook… each year the ECOES participants form connections for life, all while having fun and learning about all that Stevens has to offer.”

ECOES 2008