Radford University hosts Summer Bridge program for aspiring young scientists July 9-14

The 2017 Artis College of Science and Technology Summer Bridge STEM program for high school-aged women will be held July 9-14 at Radford University.

For more than a decade, ACSAT has hosted the weeklong residential experience for sophomore, junior and senior female students who are interested in science, technology and math. This summer, 71 Summer Bridge students from across Virginia will participate in one of four tracks: 

• Bots and Bits, during which they explore electronics, robotics, space, mathematics and physics
• Environmental Earth Sciences, during which they study their world, from creation to preservation
• Cybersecurity and Forensic Science, a foray into to the ways computer hackers are hunted and crime scenes are analyzed
• Genes, Molecules and Medicine, in which the myriad contemporary applications of biology and chemistry are explored

In addition to on-campus science and technology activities - led by Radford University faculty and assisted by current students - participants will also travel to some of the leading science and technology companies in the state.

Day trips are scheduled to Areva Nuclear Power in Lynchburg, Novozymes Biologicals in Salem, Radford University’s Selu Conservancy and Mountain Lake in Giles County.

Summer Bridge students go through a rigorous application process. They must submit an essay, and they qualify for the program based on GPA and other factors. Thanks to many generous donors and sponsors of the program, full scholarships are awarded competitively to participants. The scholarships cover all costs of the program for recipients.

Donors and sponsors are:

• ATK
• Areva Nuclear Power
• BAE Systems
• Dr. Cliff Boyd and Dr. Donna Boyd
• EQT
• Jessie Ball duPont Fund
• RU alumna Ms. Dale Lee
• Lynchburg Community Trust
• Novozymes Biologicals
• Project Discovery
• Harry and Zoe Poole Foundation
• Upward Bound Martinsville