Bridge DC

Executive Summary

High school students from disadvantaged backgrounds, have limited to no exposure and access to learning programs related to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Less than 30% of students in the bottom quarter of incomes enroll in 4-year universities and among that group, less than 50% graduate. This disparity is especially highlighted in the STEM fields and can be partially attributed to an absence of exposure to experiential learning, such as summer internships and leadership development programs. With increasing expectations of such extracurriculars for college acceptance, talented low income students are at extreme disadvantage. They are less likely to be aware of, and thus, less likely to participate, in opportunities available to become competitive applicants and matriculants. Programs, such as the High School Scientific Training and Enrichment Program (HiSTEP) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), although present, are often invisible in low SES communities.

Current dissemination of information about STEM opportunities are constrained to rare familial affiliations and posts on discrete websites. The status quo makes it difficult for students to be aware and engage. This team aims to address this opportunity gap using technology. This team seeks to connect high schoolers from disadvantaged backgrounds to experiential opportunities in hopes of fostering their interest in STEM and broadening their educational horizons by sending periodic and tailored mobile notifications to high school students from low-income backgrounds in the DC Metropolitan area.

A project supported by the: HHS Ignite Accelerator

Team Members

Joel Adu-Brimpong (Project Lead), NIH
Chaarushi Ahuja, NIH
Ezigbo Umejiego, NIH

Milestones

January 2017: Project selected into the HHS Ignite Accelerator
February 2017: Time in the Accelerator began