STEM Academy Partnerships
Catherine Law, Precollege Programs
In 2013, Cathy Law leveraged over 30 partnerships to provide programming content, funding and labor for her programs. Her broad range of partners includes numerous faculty from departments across campus, as well as national organizations designed to increase underserved students in STEM education. These include such groups as the National Girls Collaborative Project, Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, and Chick Tech.
A good example of her work is the K-2 Lego Robotics program at Garfield Elementary School in Corvallis. This project yielded a high “bang for the buck,” reaching K-2nd grade students in the Garfield Spanish Immersion program. Partners in this project were the Corvallis School District, the Garfield PTA, the Society for Hispanic and Professional Engineers, students from the College of Education, the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation, and Ellen Momsen.
Cathy was also instrumental in delivering the OSU-GEAR UP College Success Camp as well as many STEM summer camps. She partnered with faculty, departments, colleges, and professionals to create camps such as: Exploring Microtechnology Camp, Engineering and The Environment Camp, DNA Biology and Bioinformatics Camp, Ecological Restoration Field Camp, and Food Science Camp.
Another example is Cathy’s work with OSU students to provide instructors and mentors for underserved students. AWSEM (Advocates for Women in Science, Engineering, and Math) Clubs use students from the Sigma Delta Omega science sorority to deliver six weeks of hands-on activities in an after-school club that pairs college students with elementary, middle and high school girls. Major partners are Sigma Delta Omega, Corvallis School District, and many faculty and students who volunteer their time and provide activities.