While many students take a break from school over the summer, 35-50 local high school students choose to take on a challenge. These students participate in CEED’s Annual Science Mathematics Achievement and Research Technology for Students Program. This program, also known as SMARTS, is a six-week summer college preparation program at UCLA designed to engage traditionally underrepresented students in rigorous science, technology, engineering and math instruction and training.

SMARTS participants engage in a number of activities, including math courses (Introduction to Statistics and AP Calculus Readiness), SAT preparation, research, and college and career planning workshops. A hallmark of SMARTS is the Research Apprentice Program (RAP). Through this unique opportunity, approximately 20 students are able to add research assistant to their portfolio, as they successfully complete six weeks of research in UCLA labs. Research projects, mentored by graduate students, are conducted in frontier engineering, science and computing areas which range from Nanotechnology to Molecular Genetics. The six-week experience is culminated with a closing ceremony where Research Apprentices formally present their projects to an audience of faculty, staff, parents and their peers.

SMARTS also engages students in the Industry Career Exploration, a luncheon that allows students the opportunity to interact with professional engineers and scientists. Representatives from the CEED Industry Advisory Board facilitate roundtable sessions with students, discussing career opportunities and the steps needed to become an engineer or scientist.

The program is funded through a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) grant and through contributions from corporate members of the CEED Industry Advisory Board.

REQUIREMENTS

1. Currently enrolled in the 10th or 11th grade
2. Completion of the following math class by June 2008:
   10th Grade – Algebra II
   11th Grade – Trigonometry/Math Analysis/Pre-Calculus
   
3. Students who attend schools within the Los Angeles or Inglewood Unified School District and/or MESA participants will receive priority consideration
4. U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident
5. Ability to commute daily to the UCLA campus

Note: If you are not in the 10th or 11th grade but will have completed either of the above classes, you may apply to the program. Current 12th grade students are not eligible for this program.

SUMMER PROGRAM
Date: July 7 – August 15, 2008
Times: Monday through Thursday 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Friday 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. If there is a special event, the day will end at 2:30 pm.
Place: University of California, Los Angeles Campus
Classes: Students will be placed into Group 1 or 2 based on their last completed Math class
Group 1 (completed Algebra II by June ’08)
Group 2 (completed Trig/Math Anal/Pre-Calc by June’08)

• Intro to Statistics (through East LA CC - earn 4 credits)
• Robotics (through El Camino CC - earn 2 credits)
• Intro. to Computer Programming
• SAT I Preparation facilitated by Power Score
  
• College & Career Planning Workshops
• AP Calculus Readiness
• Research Apprentice Program

The 2008 SMARTS Application is now available. Click the link below to download the application.

The application due date has been extended to May 9, 2009

For more information on the SMARTS Progam contact Catherine Douglas at (310) 206-6493.