Serving Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and other towns of the North Carolina High Country | Founded 05-05-05

March 6, 2008 issue


Appalachian Begins After-School Science Enrichment Program for Home-Schooled and Minority Students

Application Deadline March 7

Appalachian State University is beginning a new free after-school science enrichment program this fall for High Country home school students and minority students from Hickory.

The program, called AppalSEED (Appalachian Student Experience-Based Education) Academy, is a yearlong science enrichment program targeting home-schooled students in Northwestern North Carolina and minority and low-income students from Hickory High School. It is funded by a $179,000 grant from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund. The grant will run for three years with the option to renew for another three years.

Chishimba Nathan Mowa, an assistant professor in Appalachian’s Department of Biology and the program’s director, said the initiative is much needed. “These two groups of students share one thing: limited access to technology and scientific expertise,” he said

At Appalachian, students in AppalSEED Academy will have access to various expensive equipment, as well as experts in the sciences.

A total of 20 students, 10 who are home schooled and 10 from Hickory, will be selected to participate in the program. A new group will be admitted to the academy each year.

Students selected to the academy will participate in team-building activities and work with professors, including participation in research projects, in each of four areas: chemistry, eco-toxicology, microscopy and biomedical science. They will meet on Thursdays from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. from September through April on the Appalachian campus. Students selected from the Hickory area will receive transportation to and from Appalachian.

Students completing the academy may be selected to attend a summer science program supported by the Merck Institute for Science Education.

Participating faculty are Nicole Bennett from the Department of Chemistry, Guichuan Hou from the university’s microscopy facility, Shea Tuberty from the Department of Biology, and Mowa.

For more information about the program or to apply, contact Bridget Tuberty, program coordinator, at 828-773-4743 or email tubertybi@appstate.edu. Additional information also is online at www.appalseed.appstate.edu. The application deadline is Friday, March 7.