STEP Fellows Undergraduate Program
Program Background
In 2001 the Georgia Tech Student and Teacher Enhancement Partnership (STEP) Program received funding from the National Science Foundation to develop a program that provides graduate students with the opportunity to cultivate their leadership, teaching, and presentation skills while concurrently using their science and technology content skills to assist local high schools in improving student learning. Graduate students chosen to participate in the STEP program spend 10 hours per week during the summer receiving training on teaching skills and strategies, and 15 hours during the school year planning and directly assisting teachers and students in a local high school. In return, the graduate students receive an NSF stipend and tuition waiver.
Undergraduate STEP Program
Beginning in the fall of 2002, STEP expanded to include undergraduate students in Engineering, Science, and Computing who were of junior status or above (at least 60 credit hours) and who were participating in the Georgia Tech Co-op Program with a placement at a local metro-Atlanta employer.
STEP has received a five-year extension from the National Science Foundation beginning with the 2004-5 academic year. For this renewal period, there have been some changes in the undergraduate program. We have received funding from the College of Engineering, the College of Sciences, the School of Literature, Communication and Culture, and the School of Public Policy to support undergraduate fellows from those disciplines.
Undergraduate STEP Fellows will work for 10 hours per week for the whole academic year as part of a team at a local high school, pursuing goals defined by the team of STEP Fellows and teachers. The undergraduate students will be paid a stipend of $2,500 from the STEP program for each of Fall and Spring semesters. During the Summer term, the students will enroll in a CETL graduate course for their training. Because of the funding sources, we can only accept students from Engineering, Science, LCC, or Public Policy majors at this time. All undergraduate fellows must have at least junior standing as of the end of the Spring 2006 semester, and a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0.
Who should participate in the Undergraduate STEP Program?
We encourage all qualifying students who have a desire to improve their leadership and communication skills, who like to work with other people in teams, who would enjoy working with high school age students on math and science skills, and who have a desire to give back to the local community to apply to be an Undergraduate STEP Fellow. If you need more information, please contact Dr. Donna Llewellyn at donna.llewellyn@cetl.gatech.edu or 404-894-2340.