For more than 25 years, Oregon State’s SMILE (Science and Math Integrated Learning Experiences) Program has been working to increase post-secondary enrollment of underserved populations in the STEM fields. There are over 825 SMILE alumni currently enrolled in college and College Connection events, such as the Ocean Science Challenge, are a major component to this success.
This year’s Challenge event provided 120 high school students from 10 statewide SMILE clubs with a real world opportunity to apply what they had been learning about the topic of Marine Resource Management. More than 15 university and community partners and 20 undergraduate mentors guided students as they learned about Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) off of the Oregon Coast and then used their knowledge to increase community awareness of MPAs through the creation of interpretive signs, a newscast and a final presentation.
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Related reading
- SMILE: Dreams do come true (Powered by Orange)
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