The School for Science and Math at Vanderbilt

The School for Science and Math at Vanderbilt A Part-time Selective STEM Program for Highly Talented High School Students Angela Eeds, Ph. D. Director, SSMV Vanderbilt Center for Science Outreach

Program Overview • The SSMV, started in 2007, is a partnership with Metro Nashville Public Schools • Students (grades 9 -12) come to the Vanderbilt campus 1 day/week for a research -based curriculum • Ph. D scientists are fulltime instructors, with approximately 50 graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and faculty volunteers per year • 26 students are accepted each year out of ~130 8 th grade applicants • Students are selected for admission based on grades, standardized test scores, teacher recommendations, written essays, and interviews Class of 2013 Graduates meet with Senator Lamar Alexander The curriculum includes field-based studies such as at Mammoth Cave

How to ask a good question Curriculum Honors Courses Interdisciplinary Science I Research I Interdisciplinary Science II Research II Interdisciplinary Science III Grade 9 Taking a hands-on approach to explore questions through interactions with research scientists in various fields 10 Implementing group research projects to investigate scientific questions 11 Carrying out an internship with a Vanderbilt research laboratory and Investigating various implications and outputs of scientific research 12 Communicating research outcomes to both the scientific and global public though national science competitions and community-based research projects Asking the next question Research III Advanced Research Curriculum Focus

Program Goals The goals of the SSMV are to graduate students who are: Sequencing a gene in endangered plants • Highly skilled in STEM (science, technology, engineering, & math) disciplines; • Capable of solving complex problems, independently and within groups; • Successful in research competitions at local, regional, national, and international levels; • Versed in communicating and utilizing research for community projects; • Successful at top tier colleges/universities and pursuing STEM related careers; • Prepared for leadership roles in the scientific, education, and business communities. Juniors and seniors work in a campus research laboratory

Student Profile: Graduating Classes of 2011 -2017 30 25 21 % URM 74 M / 85 F 20 Asian Hispanic 15 Black 10 White 5 0 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Student Achievements • 16 Siemens competition semifinalists and 2 regional finalists • 16 Intel Science Talent Search semifinalists • 3 rd place in the Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge • 62 student publications in Young Scientist • 17 total recognitions and three grand prize winners at the Middle TN Science & Engineering Fair • 3 first place and 15 second place projects (57 students) at the Tennessee Junior Academy of Science annual meeting • 10 student co-authorships on research publications (Nature Photonics, J Heredity, J Electrochemical Society, Laboratory Investigations, J Mechanical Behavior Biomedical Materials, J Virology)

College Matriculation: Comparison to MNPS Academic Magnet High Schools 70 SSMV Academic Magnet HS % of Students 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Top 50 Colleges/Univ TN Public Bowdoin College Brown University Bryn Mawr College Centre College of William & Mary Columbia University Dartmouth College Davidson College Duke University Emory University Georgia Tech Haverford College Middlebury College MIT Princeton University Stanford University Tufts University Univ of Chicago Univ of Illinois Univ of Michigan Univ of Pennsylvania Univ of Rochester Univ of Wisconsin Vanderbilt University Wake Forest University Washington Univ Wellesley College West Point Williams College Yale University

Alumni Profile: Isaiah, SSMV Class of 2011 “To me, the best thing about the SSMV is its ability to mold a student's mind around every aspect of science while managing to make every individual's experience unique. The SSMV teaches me how to ask a scientific question and conduct scientific research, however the possibilities are endless when it comes to science. Society will never run out of questions, and the SSMV provides students with a fundamental toolkit to reach any answer. ” Bowdoin College Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship Major: Earth & Oceanographic Science Minor: Chemistry

Alumni Profile: Busra, SSMV Class of 2013 “SSMV is a phenomenal program that has allowed me to grow tremendously throughout the past four years. I love being in an intellectually stimulating environment with other people that share a passion for science. It has provided me with the remarkable opportunity to conduct research as a high school student. The research experience has been lifechanging, opening my eyes to the vast array of opportunities and encouraging me to continue research in the future. ” University of Pennsylvania Quest. Bridge College Match Finalist

Thank You Extracting Caffeine from tea Virginia Shepherd, Ph. D. Professor, Vanderbilt Univ Director, CSO Examining a brain Presenting a scientific poster Dissecting a bolus Perspectives Forum on Einstein