Ohio’s first STEM Academy in Computational Science and Engineering is underway, providing select high school students and teachers with valuable skills in simulation and modeling.
Participants of the thirteen-day, non-residential workshops are learning how to build, use, and test computer models of many interesting phenomena – from the descent of a skydiver, to the strength of a steel beam, to the transport of heat through a system, to the growth of an aquatic population.
The academy consists of short lectures, individual project assignments, physical experiments and data gathering, and a capstone group final project. The program will continue through the academic year with mentoring and additional work for the students and two Saturday events focusing on more sophisticated approaches to modeling and simulation. Student participants will receive three semester hours of undergraduate credit and at least a half credit from their high schools.
“Computational science and the use of modeling and simulation have been cited by prominent state and federal committees and panels as keys to continued competitiveness in science and engineering,” said Steve Gordon, senior director of education at OSC. “With programs like this, we are helping to make Ohio a national leader in the application of computational science.”
The STEM Academy is funded through the Ohio Board of Regents STEM and Foreign Language Academies grant program. The program was created in response to House Bill 115 of the 126th General Assembly, which supports initiatives designed to increase teacher capacity in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and foreign language. The bill also provides opportunities for more high school students to engage in advanced learning opportunities in these disciplines.
More than 100 K-12 students will be engaged in OSC computational science programs this summer, attending Young Women’s Summer Institute (seventh and eighth grade girls), Summer Institute (ninth and tenth grade students), and STEM Academy (eleventh and twelfth grade students).
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The Ohio Supercomputer Center (OSC) is a catalytic partner of Ohio universities and industries that provides a reliable high performance computing and high performance networking infrastructure for a diverse statewide/regional community including education, academic research, industry, and state government. OSC promotes and stimulates computational research and education in order to act as a key enabler for the state's aspirations in advanced technology, information systems, and advanced industries. For additional information, visit http://www.osc.edu.
