GEAR UP program hosts activities to increase interest in science

Next week, middle school students from some of Montana GEAR UP’s 18 partnering school districts will take part in activities designed to increase their knowledge of, and interest in, science through the avenues of nature, poetry, and art when they attend spectrUM Discovery Area’s Science Camp. Arlee School District will host the faculty and staff who will travel from the Missoula campus to show camp participants how to engineer puppets with moving parts, create robots using a variety of technologies, and explore chemistry through cooking.

The camp will culminate with a visit not only to the spectrUM facility on the campus of The University of Montana but also with a visit to the Native Astrobiology lab where students will explore microbiology in an interactive setting.

Before returning to Arlee, they will also tour the campus, learn about admissions, and hear about the positive and negatives of post-secondary life as experienced by college students.

The University of Montana, a public flagship university in Missoula, provides superior education ranging from two-year degrees to doctorates.

Undergraduate studies focus on global engagement and leadership.

As a research university, UM is a leader in knowledge creation, economic development, and cultural enrichment.

The University’s internationally recognized programs, commitment to student success, and innovative learning environment attract faculty and students from around the world.

The mission of spectrUM is serve children who lack access to STEM education and to STEM role models.

GEAR UP, a federal grant program designed to increase the number of first-generation and low income students who attend college, is administered through Montana’s Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education.

The Montana GEAR UP program impacts nearly 3,600 students annually, the majority of whom attend schools that are located on or bordering one of the state’s American Indian reservations.

Montana GEAR UP provides services to schools, students and families to increase the number of first-generation and low income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in college.

For more information about this the GEAR UP summer camp program, contact Paula Roe, College Access Manager, at (406) 444-0350, cell (713) 249-1405 or email proe@montana.edu.

For more information about the spectrUM Science Camp, contact Jessie Hebert, the site’s Operational Manager at 406.243.4828 or email at jessie.herbert@mso.umt.edu.