This summer, students from Temple University's TUteach program are bringing STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education and activities to more than 600 young people across Philadelphia. TUteach, a collaboration of the College of Science and Technology (CST) and the College of Education, is a teacher-training program designed for math and science majors. 

Working with Caring People Alliance Community Centers in West, South and North Philadelphia, TUteach and Temple STEM majors are helping to run an inter-generational science reading program and TEN80, a project in which students reverse engineer a racecar for better performance. 

TUteach majors, along with other CST students, are instructors and counselors for two residential summer camps at Temple. The ExxonMobil Bernard Harris Summer Science Camp, named for a NASA astronaut, relies on TUteach and CST students to coach students from low-income communities in science and mathematics activities, such as designing a model Mars lander out of household materials that can withstand a drop from a height of two meters. The STEMwork at Sea camp teaches students how scientists and engineers make ship systems work. 

"Both camp programs have 100 percent college entrance for camp alumni," explains Susan Varnum, CST's associate dean for science education. "In recent years we have also introduced STEM-UP, a college preparatory program for rising 9th and 10th graders that offers integrated instruction in mathematics and science. Students can choose to focus on robotics and programming or laboratory science."

The High School Math and Chemistry Challenge offers guided instruction through difficult scientific concepts using traditional science demonstrations and ALEKS, a web-based learning system that uses adaptive questions to determine what a student knows and doesn't know. Another group of CST students offer a mini-prep course in general chemistry to high school student at the West Philadelphia Community Center. CST students also offer SAT preparation with Let's Get Ready, an organization that helps students gain admission to, and eventually graduate from, college. 

An innovative partnership with the Fox Chase Cancer Center, which brings together the talents of TUteach and biology undergraduates, a Temple graduate and Fox Chase instructors, offers real-world research opportunities to high school students. "This is an exciting partnership between scientists, science students and science teachers," says Varnum.