Howard University News July 25, 2018 Bison STEM Scholars Program Welcomes Second Cohort, Prepares For Trip To Berlin Twenty-nine first-year Howard University students are the newest additions to the Bison STEM Scholar Program (BSSP), a competitive multi-year program offering students full scholarships for undergraduate studies and support for successful matriculation through graduate and professional studies in STEM-related disciplines. Howard University President, Dr. Wayne A.I. Frederick and Provost Anthony Wutoh, Ph.D., initiated development of BSSP nearly two years ago to address the lack of minorities earning terminal STEM degrees and becoming researchers and professors. “Howard University is uniquely positioned to make a major contribution to improving minority participation in conducting research, teaching as members of the professoriate, developing policy and becoming leaders in STEM organizations,” says Ron H. Smith, program director for the Bison STEM Scholars Program. Smith was brought to the University in 2016 to develop a progressive initiative aimed at recruiting ambitious high school students interested in STEM-related degrees and careers. “The university is very committed to the program and various stakeholders have expressed excitement and support,” says Smith. A total of 59 scholars comprise cohorts one and two. All scholars are enrolled in programs within the College of Engineering and Architecture and the College of Arts and Sciences, and must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.30 at the end of each semester. Marc Gorum II, a sophomore chemical engineering student and member of the program’s inaugural cohort says he attributes much of his growth at the University to the BSSP. “I’ve performed better than I ever have previously, earning my first 4.0 semester last spring,” says Gorum, who’s originally from Dover, Delaware. “I know my success within this program will counter stereotypes that exist around African-American males, especially those in science.” Gorum and his fellow cohort members started their journeys during last year’s Summer Bridge Program, a pre-freshman six-week program allowing students to enroll in classes and earn 7 credits towards degree completion. A major goal of the Summer Bridge Program is to begin building the cohort as a collective unit, through study groups, research projects and mandatory cohort meetings, where students discuss their progress, professional development, and societal issues along with exploring the African diaspora. “I appreciate that the BSSP encourages us to be our entire selves as we pursue the ultimate goals of the program,” says Ajani Smith-Washington, a first cohort scholar studying physics and economics. Since last year’s Summer Bridge Program, the Houston native has worked with the Heliophysics Science Division at NASA, completed a Community Organizing Fellowship with Organizing for Action, and became a student leader for the Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center, which launches out of Howard University’s School of Law this fall. As a new component of the Summer Bridge Program this year, members of the second cohort will be traveling to Berlin, Germany for two weeks as part of the program’s focus on building a global perspective for students to prosper in an increasingly diverse world. “The scholars will study intercultural communication and how the international community collaborates to solve vexing global health crises. In addition to lectures, they will also go on several cultural excursions.” says Smith, who collaborated with non-profit group The Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) to secure funding for the trip. “Except for the few instances where I visited family that live relatively close, I have never traveled,” says Cameron Temple, a freshman biology student and cohort two member from Baltimore. “It’s fair to say I am excited for this trip­­ and cannot wait for this amazing opportunity!” Temple’s fellow cohort member, Imani Ross, says while her primary focus as a student is to earn her MD-Ph.D. and eventually do research on diseases, she’s excited to spend the next several years learning and growing with the cohort. “We are already making so many memories,” says Ross, an Albuquerque, New Mexico native who commends BSSP on being rigorous and more than a program that hands out scholarships to bright individuals. “I was so surprised when after only a week of the program the other scholars already felt like family. We learn together, we study together, we live together, and we grow together.” BSSP’s second cohort leaves for Germany July 28and will return August 11, just before the start of Freshman Week. Meantime, Smith says he expects additional cohorts, all to include 30 scholars, to begin the program over the next few years. “At the end of the day, the hard work of students is what we expect to produce tremendous outcomes, says Smith. “We expect excellence and will settle for nothing less.” For more information on the Bison STEM Scholars Program, visit https://www2.howard.edu/scholarships/bison-stem-scholars. Bison STEM Scholars | Howard University<https://www2.howard.edu/scholarships/bison-stem-scholars> www2.howard.edu Follow Us On Download the Scholarship Application About the Program. The Bison STEM Scholars Program (BSSP) is designed to attract and prepare high-achieving high school students. SANDRA M. PHOENIX HBCU Library Alliance Executive Director Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library 111 James P. Brawley Drive SW Atlanta, GA 30314 404-978-2118 (office) 404-702-5854 (cell) http://www.hbculibraries.org/ [http://hbculibraries.org/images/slide-collection.jpg]<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> HBCU Library Alliance<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> www.hbculibraries.org State of Libraries at HBCUs. 1942, Law School Students Checking Out Books From Lincoln’s Law Library, image courtesy of HBCU Library Alliance Digital Collection. sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org%3cmailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org>> Honor the ancestors, honor the children. The 8th HBCU Library Alliance Membership Meeting is scheduled at the Atlanta University Center Woodruff Library (GA) on Sunday through Tuesday, October 7-9. Click here<http://www.hbculibraries.org/meeting-2018-info.html> for registration and session details. 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