STEM Scholars Program
The STEM Scholars Program empowers aspiring scientists to seize challenges, persist, and succeed. As a STEM Scholar, you will receive advising, mentoring, service learning, internships, and research opportunities — all designed to foster a sense of belonging and identity. The program begins with a six-week summer program then follows you through all four years. Supported by a grant of nearly $1 million from the National Science Foundation, the STEM Scholars Program seeks to promote inclusiveness and diversity in the sciences.
Scholarships and Financial Aid
STEM Scholars are awarded scholarships which eliminate the loan and work-study portions of the financial aid package for all four years. Scholars also receive a $500 annual book and supply allowance, and a one-time allowance of $1,000.00 for computer hardware and software. More on how to apply for a STEM Scholarship.
Summer Program
STEM Scholars participate in the KEEP summer experience, a “deep dive” into college life, where you can develop your critical thinking and writing skills in close contact with professors and TAs before you begin your first year at Kenyon. You will have opportunities to bond with peers in class and the residence halls, sample extracurricular activities, and become familiar with Kenyon’s campus and its full range of support services. More about the summer program.
Community-EngAGED Learning
Community-engaged learning is integral to the program: STEM Scholars design and implement learning activities for the public in collaboration with SPI: where Science and Play Intersect, a science discovery space in nearby Mount Vernon. In the course “Methods for Promoting Science Understanding,” you will read primary literature about science learning, generate new scientific communications and produce science installations, advancing your own understanding of STEM principles in the process.
Research and Internship Opportunities
At Kenyon, science isn’t just something you “take.” It’s something you “do,” hands-on, in the lab and field. The STEM Scholar Internship Fund will support summer internships for STEM Scholars with our service-learning partner SPI, local engineering firms, other science and technology focused employers, as well as student-identified internship hosts. You will also enjoy extraordinary opportunities to pursue original research with faculty mentors through programs like Summer Science and Pelotonia.
Mentoring and Advising
In addition to having a faculty advisor, you will connect with professors and other science students in interdisciplinary mentoring clusters that provide opportunities for social activities and events. A student-run, science-focused peer-mentoring program stresses both study skills and career planning. STEM Scholars start as mentees, then become mentors themselves.