Fifty-three COMETS students were honored last year during Recognition Night in the Penn State New Kensington Conference Center.
Eight-month program, Courses on Math, Engineering,
Technology and Science, provides mentoring and
hands-on workshops for middle school students
UPPER BURRELL, Pa. -- Penn State New Kensington's COMETS (Courses on Math, Engineering, Technology, Science) program begins its third season in November to provide online career mentoring for middle school females.
The initiative targets seventh- and eighth-grade girls who have an interest in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) fields. Volunteer mentors, drawn from Penn State alumna and friends in STEM-related professions, will share their experiences on career opportunities in their fields. In addition to mentoring, the eight-month program features the Saturday Morning Brunch series, COMETS camp, guest speakers, demonstrations and projects.
“The program combines an online mentoring program with hands-on presentations in a wide range of STEM fields,” said Debra Novak, coordinator of STEM programs at the campus. “The mentors will provide new perspectives on their careers, as well as perspectives on other STEM careers for the girls.”
The COMETS program starts Nov. 14 with the morning brunch series, which is held the second Saturday of the month through May. Workshops, presentations and activities will be provided by women with careers in the medical, space/science, computer science, engineering, and environmental STEM fields.
COMETS camp is set for April 9. Penn State Engineering Ambassadors, a University Park student organization that motivates grade-school students to challenge conventional ideas about science and engineering, will present engineering programs to the young participants.
“This is a great opportunity for the girls to interact with college students who are currently enrolled in engineering majors,” said Novak, who earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the University of Pittsburgh. “The students will be able to ask questions about college classes, majors, and possible industries that involves engineering.”
Last year, fifty-three students from seven public school districts -- Burrell, Franklin Regional, Highlands, Kiski Area, New Kensington/Arnold, Penn Hills and Plum, and a private school, Mary Queen of Apostles in New Kensington -- participated in the program. Mentors were assigned to students, and they held weekly online sessions of 20-30 minutes with their mentees.
Sponsors
Funding for the COMETS program is provided by the Emerson Charitable Trust, which provides financial assistance and other support to local organizations in the United States that improve and enrich lives, promote volunteerism, sponsor education, and provide services to those in need. The trust is the giving arm of Emerson, a diversified global manufacturing company that brings technology and engineering together to provide innovative solutions to customers in the industrial, commercial and consumer markets. Based in St. Louis, the company celebrated its 125th anniversary by launching “I Love STEM,” an advertising, marketing and social media campaign to encourage greater interest in STEM education.
In addition to Emerson, COMETS is supported by PA eMentoring, AWIS (Association for Women in Science), SWE (Society for Women Engineers), National Girls Collaborative Project, Penn State Engineering Ambassadors, FabFerns and ESWPA (Engineers Society of Western PA).
COMETS and STEM campus initiatives
STEM is a statewide effort dedicated to preparing Pennsylvania students for global competitiveness through a strategy of enhanced education and career development opportunities. The initiatives are designed to increase the number of students, especially females, minorities and the underrepresented, in the STEM fields.
The seed for the COMETS program was planted in 2010 when the campus hosted the “Women in STEM Symposium.” More than 300 high school females attended the event that featured a panel discussion on career possibilities for women in STEM-related fields. The panelists extolled the different perspectives that women can bring to these traditionally male-dominated fields. They advised the audience to take advantage of internships at local companies to gain experience in their prospective vocations.
Novak, who joined the campus community in 2012, coordinates the campus’ three STEM programs -- Kids in College, STEM Academy and COMETS. Her responsibilities include increasing the interest of grade-school students in the four core disciplines critical to the development of technological innovations. She develops and manages STEM initiatives by bringing together representatives from the campus, local school districts and regional industries. The initiatives are geared to elementary and secondary students.
Kids in College is a summer program that combines hands-on activities and STEM camps for students in grades one to 12. The STEM-related classes include courses like " Daring Designs" where students draw scale plans for a bedroom or game room using a scientific perspective and "Rocketry" class, which is an opportunity for students to build their own model rockets and launch them. Kids in College is sponsored by the Grable Foundation.
STEM Academy targets high school students. The program provides dual-enrollment courses that are focused on STEM majors. Students are given options for courses that can be taken at the New Kensington campus.
“The academy provides students with the advantages of earning college credits while in high school and exploring a career path that is STEM-related," said Novak, who teaches English as a second language in the Burrell School District. “It also provides an opportunity for high school teachers to work with campus faculty to develop the talents of college-bound and workforce-bound students whose career interests will require advanced knowledge of STEM areas.”
The campus’ STEM projects complement Novak’s charge to coalesce interdisciplinary teams of grade school teachers and administrators, higher education students and faculty, and industry representatives to determine the best approach to STEM literacy in the region.
“STEM-related growth is expected to expand immensely in the near future for the Alle-Kiski Valley,” said Novak, who lives in Lower Burrell with her husband and four children. “Our programs are directed at introducing and supporting the necessary pathways for students in our area districts for success in STEM jobs.”
For more information, contact Novak via email at dsn2@psu.edu