Short-term Exploratory Summer Program for At-Risk First Year Students (work in progress)

The work and findings in this paper are based on a short-term exploratory summer program for at-risk students conducted at California State University, Bakersfield, in the Summer of 2015. The summer program consists of a one-week exploratory program in one of three STEM fields – Chemistry, Engineering, and Mathematics. In this paper, the details of each of these programs are presented and the findings based on attitudinal surveys are discussed. Students indicate an increased interest in STEM research and an increased awareness of the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in a STEM field as a result of participating in this summer program.