Contact: Allison Matthews

STARKVILLE, Miss.—High school students from across the Magnolia State received their first taste of Advanced Placement courses prior to the fall semester during the Global Teaching Project’s eighth annual Advanced STEM Summer Preparatory Program held this month at Mississippi State.

Approximately 100 students from 17 rural Mississippi public school districts attended the five-day event, which is part of GTP’s AP STEM Access Program and hosted through the MSU College of Education and Department of Counseling, Higher Education Leadership, Educational Psychology and Foundations. Participants worked alongside experienced STEM major tutors and esteemed educators from leading national universities around the country on concepts found in AP Biology, AP Computer Science, AP Physics and AP Statistics curricula.

Students attended the camp at no cost and any expenses, including housing and meals, were covered by the program. Students also experienced college life by attending classes on campus and participating in recreational activities at MSU’s Sanderson Center.

MSU Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs Jim Dunne said he is a “huge fan” of the Global Teaching Project, including its mission and staff.

“This program has provided equitable educational opportunities to students throughout the state for many years. With its unwavering commitment to educational excellence, Mississippi State University is honored to facilitate the Global Teaching Project’s Advanced STEM Summer Preparatory Program,” Dunne said.

The program also provided students access to critical information necessary for them to prepare for and excel in their post-secondary academic journey. Danny Thompson, of the Woodward Hines Education Foundation’s Get2College program, spoke about financial aid, highlighting the many resources available to college applicants. Lisa Urry, biology professor and author of the most widely used AP Biology textbook in the country, told participants about metacognition and provided study tips and tricks to help them succeed academically. Finally, GTP tutors and staff assisted with Common APP—a college application site used for more than 1,000 colleges—and answered college-related questions.

MSU educational psychology Assistant Professors Mehdi Ghahremani and Sareh Karami served as the project grant’s principal investigators, and the program was coordinated and supported by MSU graduate students.

The goal of the Advanced STEM Summer Preparatory Program is to provide rural high school students in Mississippi with educational opportunities to which they may otherwise be unable to access. Each of the staff, tutors, educators and guests associated with the camp have one focus: helping Mississippi students. Organizers said many students who attended this year’s program already have made plans to attend next year, demonstrating the positive impact the program has on them.

Mississippi State University is taking care of what matters. Learn more at www.msstate.edu.