I am happy to announce that the Project ENGAGES applications are now open for rising juniors.

Project ENGAGES (Engaging New Generations at Georgia Tech through Engineering & Science) is a high school science education program developed at Georgia Tech in partnership with Coretta Scott King Young Women’s Leadership Academy, B.E.S.T Academy, KIPP Atlanta Collegiate, Benjamin E. Mays High School and Charles R. Drew Charter High School, five minority-serving public high schools in the City of Atlanta. As part of this program there are two tracks, the Biotechnology Track and the Engineering Track. The first of these was established by the National Science Foundation STC on the Emergent Behaviors of Integrated Cellular Systems, a center that is part of the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience. The Engineering Track was established by a joint effort of the Georgia Tech Research Institute, the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, and the NSF-funded Materials Research Science and Engineering Center.

The main program goals are to:

•    Raise the awareness of students to the world of engineering, science and technology through real-world, hands-on research projects led by top notch Georgia Tech scientists and to the career path possibilities in engineering and the sciences.

•    Improve the schools’ current science education program through direct interaction with the science classes at the two high schools and through a teacher training initiative that immerses teachers in ongoing research within Georgia Tech’s laboratories.

The future of the U.S. “rests” on being at the forefront of science and technology and to do this requires that we have a STEM-educated workforce. It also is recognized that the most creative engineering teams are the ones that are the most diverse. With the changing demographics of the U.S. it is critical, and it is also our motivation, that we bring underrepresented populations into the STEM fields to inspire them to aspire for high achievement and success.

The application deadline is Friday, March 3, 2017. The deadline for recommendations to be submitted is Monday, March 6, 2017.

Students please take advantage of your teachers, advisors, grade-level counselors and college counselors to look over your resumes and personal statements so you can submit a competitive application.

The website where you can access the application is (projectengage.gatech.edu/).  Click on the ‘Apply to ENGAGES’ tab.

Project ENGAGES Day, our annual marketing event, will be held at Charles R. Drew Charter School on Thursday, January 26, 2017, 4:00-6:00pm and a second time at Coretta Scott King Young Women’s Leadership Academy (CSKYWLA) on Tuesday, January 31, 2017, 3:00-5:00pm.  Students and parents from ALL FIVE PARTNER SCHOOLS ARE INVITED!  Please spread the word so parents and students who are interested in applying can attend on of these meetings and have their questions answered face to face.