For immediate release: Jan. 30, 2013

BLOOMSBURG — Top high school sophomores from Bloomsburg, Central Columbia and Berwick Area school districts are invited to apply for Bloomsburg University’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Magnet program. Eighteen academically talented students will be admitted for the program’s first year.

Students in the STEM Magnet program will enroll together in five courses at BU — two each during fall 2013 and spring 2014 and one during January 2014 — and earn a total of 15 credits. They will earn 15 additional credits during their second year in the program.

The two-year program will focus on engineering, but also will give students interested in math or other sciences the tools needed to be successful in college, said Elizabeth Mauch, dean of BU’s College of Education. Classes will include Computer Science, Coding, Engineering Sampler, Engineering Seminar, Calculus I or II, Physics I, Physics II, Technical Writing, Economics and Ethics.

“College graduates with degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics are in great demand, but nearly half of students majoring in these fields fail to complete their degrees,” Mauch said. “Local superintendents have expressed a need for this type of program to help students prepare for the rigors of these majors and to meet the needs of local employers.”

To be eligible, sophomores in Bloomsburg, Central Columbia and Berwick Area high schools must have taken Algebra I and II, Geometry and two years of science. They also must have a positive recommendation from their science or math teacher, at least a 95 percent attendance record and a commitment to enroll in the program for both their junior and senior years of high school. A panel will review all applications, which are due by April 1. Tuition is $3,100 and full scholarships will be available.

For information, contact Mauch at emauch@bloomu.edu or (570) 389-4005.

Bloomsburg University is one of 14 universities in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. BU serves approximately 10,000 students, offering comprehensive programs of study in the colleges of Education, Business, Liberal Arts and Science and Technology.