{"682944":{"#nid":"682944","#data":{"type":"news","title":"High Schoolers From Around the State Explore STEM Majors and Careers Through New Georgia Tech Summer Institute","body":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI\u2019m a bit more interested in going to Georgia Tech now than I was before,\u201d said Harris County High School student Isaiah Willis while participating in a chemistry lab activity during last week\u2019s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/expandedlearning.ceismc.gatech.edu\/summer-institute\u0022\u003EGeorgia Tech Summer Institute\u003C\/a\u003E. \u201cThe science department that we\u2019re in now\u2014this seems pretty fun. I\u2019ve never taken a chemistry class, so it seems pretty interesting. I might want to do this when I grow up.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThat sense of discovery was central to the campus experience for the 93 rising 11th graders representing 57 counties across Georgia\u2014from Dade in the northwest corner to Chatham along the coast. The inaugural program was a weeklong statewide residential program hosted by Expanded Learning Programs in the Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing (CEISMC), which is now part of the College of Lifetime Learning.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThroughout the week, participants explored STEM majors and careers through hands-on activities, attended sessions on navigating college life, and built community with one another through fun and engaging social events. The Summer Institute, modeled after the Governor\u2019s Honors Program and Georgia Tech\u2019s First-Generation College Institute, is designed to identify, engage and prepare talented students for a successful transition to college, while providing STEM opportunities to build career awareness.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESirocus Barnes, director of CEISMC\u2019s Expanded Learning Programs and program organizer, explained that the Summer Institute was created to support the Institute\u2019s strategic goal of expanding access by developing talent across Georgia\u2014particularly among K-12 students in rural and under-resourced communities. The initiative aims to give students the tools to become competitive college applicants and future leaders in the STEM workforce.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cOne of the things we really want to focus on in Expanded Learning Programs is providing rich and meaningful opportunities for young people outside of the traditional school day. Summer presents a great opportunity to do just that,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re using this unique window in the summer, when students are more free to travel, to invite them for a week of immersive learning. This program gives them the chance to spend meaningful time on campus and experience what Georgia Tech has to offer.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA standout feature of the summer program was the strong support from the Office of Strategic Student Access and the six other academic colleges. Representatives from the Scheller College of Business, the College of Computing, the College of Design, the College of Engineering, the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts, and the College of Sciences hosted sessions over a two-day period. They gave building tours, led STEM learning activities connected to the majors offered, and demonstrated some of the research innovations students might encounter in those career paths.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOn another day, staff from Undergraduate Admission, Scholarships and Financial Aid, and Student Engagement and Well-being delivered presentations about their respective offices. Current undergraduates, who served as group leaders, offered a peer perspective on college life. The final day concluded with a family showcase where participants shared reflections about their experiences.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGreenbrier High School student Katie Branigan summed up the sentiment the Summer Institute aimed to foster. \u201cI\u2019m very grateful because I\u2019ve always wanted to go to Georgia Tech since I was little,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019ve always known that I wanted to do engineering, and I\u2019m just very grateful that I got this experience.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech\u0027s Summer Institute welcomed 93 rising 11th graders representing 57 counties across Georgia to campus. The inaugural program was a weeklong statewide residential program hosted by Expanded Learning Programs in the Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing (CEISMC), which is now part of the College of Lifetime Learning.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech\u0027s Summer Institute welcomed 93 rising 11th graders representing 57 counties across Georgia to campus."}],"uid":"34907","created_gmt":"2025-06-30 15:37:56","changed_gmt":"2025-07-03 16:00:52","author":"James-Addis Hill","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-06-30T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2025-06-30T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"677326":{"id":"677326","type":"image","title":"Infographic depicts home counties of the program participants","body":"\u003Cp\u003EInfographic depicts home counties of the program participants\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1751384924","gmt_created":"2025-07-01 15:48:44","changed":"1751558722","gmt_changed":"2025-07-03 16:05:22","alt":"Infographic depicts home counties of the program participants","file":{"fid":"261216","name":"GT-summer-institute-infogr_3840-x-2160.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/07\/01\/GT-summer-institute-infogr_3840-x-2160.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/07\/01\/GT-summer-institute-infogr_3840-x-2160.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":669311,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/07\/01\/GT-summer-institute-infogr_3840-x-2160.jpg?itok=vOXASf2r"}},"677309":{"id":"677309","type":"image","title":"Group Photo of High School students participating in Georgia Tech\u0027s Summer Institute","body":"\u003Cp\u003EGroup Photo of High School students participating in Georgia Tech\u0027s Summer 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Tech\u0027s Summer Institute","file":{"fid":"261205","name":"Summer-Institute-2025-College-session.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/07\/01\/Summer-Institute-2025-College-session.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/07\/01\/Summer-Institute-2025-College-session.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":489393,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/07\/01\/Summer-Institute-2025-College-session.jpg?itok=W4AlwDSJ"}},"677308":{"id":"677308","type":"image","title":"Photo of Katie Branigan at Georgia Tech Summer Institute","body":"\u003Cp\u003EPhoto of Katie Branigan at Georgia Tech Summer Institute\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1751297900","gmt_created":"2025-06-30 15:38:20","changed":"1751558799","gmt_changed":"2025-07-03 16:06:39","alt":"Photo of Katie at Georgia Tech Summer Inmstitute","file":{"fid":"261193","name":"thumbnail_IMG_8236.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/06\/30\/thumbnail_IMG_8236.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/06\/30\/thumbnail_IMG_8236.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":357016,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/06\/30\/thumbnail_IMG_8236.jpg?itok=hWE0RfXq"}}},"media_ids":["677326","677309","677319","677308"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/ceismc.gatech.edu\/","title":"CEISMC"},{"url":"https:\/\/expandedlearning.ceismc.gatech.edu\/summer-institute","title":"Georgia Tech Summer Institute"}],"groups":[{"id":"361651","name":"Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics and Computing (CEISMC)"},{"id":"660375","name":"Lifetime Learning"}],"categories":[{"id":"42901","name":"Community"},{"id":"42911","name":"Education"},{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"194611","name":"State Impact"}],"keywords":[{"id":"411","name":"CEISMC"},{"id":"193940","name":"college of lifetime learning"},{"id":"46351","name":"K-12 education"},{"id":"194637","name":"Georgia Tech Summer Institute"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jwalls37@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJo\u00eblle Walls\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr\u003ECEISMC Communications\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}