Unique Features
- Students are provided with an entire year-long program where they can become an integral part of a research team
- Project ENGAGES not only exposes students to concepts and ideas but also equips them with the skills and knowledge to carry out their own independent research project
- Students are given opportunities to establish important connections with university faculty and industry representatives who can provide career guidance and support
- The program is a unique partnership between the Atlanta Public School administration and staff, Georgia Tech research faculty, and industry partners that are committed to student success
GTRI/D2D Technology
- The D2D technology is a high bandwidth video conferencing capability developed by the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI).
- This is a technology that can be used to connect a classroom at a high school to a laboratory at Georgia Tech or in fact any place in the world.
- This technology is used to include the students sitting in their high school classroom to participate in experiments at Georgia Tech.
Science for Tomorrow’s Aspiring Researchers (STARs) Science Club
As an Education and Outreach effort, BBUGS has partnered with BEST Academy and Coretta Scott King Young Women’s Leadership Academy to initiate the STARs Science Club, with the objectives of:
- Providing sustained hands-on science mentorship to interested middle and high school students at both of these schools
- Introducing middle and high school students to science and technology that complements and extends beyond the scope of the middle and high school curriculum
- Giving students who are not age-eligible to participate in Project ENGAGES a chance to experience hands-on science
Logistics:
- During the school year, the STARs Science Club will take place once a month at BEST Academy, an all-boys school in the Atlanta Public School System, and at Coretta Scott King Young Women’s Leadership Academy, an all-girls school in the Atlanta Public School System both are located at 1190 Northwest Drive, Northwest, Atlanta, GA 30318
- The club operates on the last Thursday of each month, 3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
- The first science club meeting for the 2021-2022 school year remains to be determined
- The program will run from September 2021 to April 2022 with a break around the winter holidays
Commitment:
- Graduate students from Georgia Tech have committed to being at each STARs Science Club meeting on a volunteer basis. There are approximately 10 graduate students participating in the program, with half being based at Coretta Scott King Young Women’s Leadership Academy and the other half at the BEST Academy.
Science Specifics:
The academic year will be divided into 3-4 units, and each session covers science-related modules:
- September: Project 1 – Science fair prep (1st meeting)
- BBUGS graduate students will help students brainstorm science fair project ideas, use the scientific method to conduct their experiments, and make a science fair poster.
- October – December: Project 2 (3 meetings)
- January – February: Project 3 (2 meetings)
- March – April: Project 4 (or Project 3 continued) (2 meetings)
Projects 2-4 will be developed. Utilizing one common theme, Science Club volunteers will generate individual projects and lead small groups of students to develop a project.
Current Leadership:
BBUGS – Elaida Dimwamwa, Veronica Montgomery & Andrew Raddatz at Coretta Scott King Young Women’s Leadership Academy and BEST Academy. at Coretta Scott King Young Women’s Leadership Academy and BEST Academy. For further questions, feel free to contact Elaida, Veronica, or Andrew.