Bosch Community Fund backs LTU Summer STEM Series with $26k

SOUTHFIELD-The Bosch Community Fund has supported Lawrence Technological University's Summer STEM Series for middle schoolers with a $26,355 grant.

The grant supports the program, paying for meals, stipends for LTU student assistants and chaperones, instructor costs, and laboratory equipment.

The Summer STEM Series (S3) is for students entering seventh, eighth and ninth grades. Its curriculum consists of interactive STEM activities focused on problem solving and teamwork, giving students essential STEM knowledge and nurturing skills they can apply in their future academic endeavors and social interactions.

S3 is taught by the Marburger STEM Center director Jay Jessen, program coordinator Carl Grolle, a team of LTU student assistants, and supported by LTU faculty and staff. S3 takes place both in LTU's state-of-the-art engineering, environmental, and biological laboratories, as well as on-campus wetlands and rainwater gardens. Students work on watershed management, water sampling, bacteria analysis, soil testing, horticulture, and more. Activities also include 3D rendering, 3D printing, laser cutting, computer coding, programming autonomous drones, robotics, and more.

"We're grateful to the Bosch Community Fund for their generous support of the Summer STEM Series, which fosters interest in STEM education and careers at the middle school level, helping to fill tomorrow's STEM talent pipeline," Jessen said.

Educators interested in reserving a week or more of S3 for their schoolor district should contact LTU's Marburger STEM Center at (248) 204-2663 or [email protected].

Lawrence Technological Universityis one of only 13 independent, technological, comprehensive doctoral universities in the United States. Located in Southfield, Mich., LTU was founded in 1932, and offers more than 100 programs through its Colleges of Architecture and Design, Arts and Sciences, Business and Information Technology, Engineering, and Health Sciences, as well as Specs@LTU as part of its growing Center for Professional Development. PayScale lists Lawrence Tech among the nation's top 11 percent of universities for alumni salaries. Forbes and The Wall Street Journal rank LTU among the nation's top 10 percent. U.S. News and World Report lists it in the top tier of best in the Midwest colleges. Students benefit from small class sizes and a real-world, hands-on, "theory and practice" education with an emphasis on leadership. Activities on Lawrence Tech's 107-acre campus include more than 60 student organizations and NAIA varsity sports.