Summer Science & Engineering Program

Programa de Ciência e Engenharia de Verão (SSEP)

O Smith Summer Science and Engineering Program (SSEP) foi desenvolvido para alunos excepcionais do ensino médio com forte interesse em ciências e engenharia. Participe de pesquisas práticas com o corpo docente da Smith em ciências físicas e biológicas e em engenharia. Fundado em 1990, o programa atende anualmente mais de 100 alunos. Desde a sua criação, participaram cerca de 1.800 estudantes, representando 46 estados e 53 países. Após o programa, os participantes retornam ao ensino médio mais bem preparados para enfrentar cursos difíceis de ciências e entender o que esperar da faculdade.

Smith College is among the top-rated liberal arts colleges in the United States and one of the nation's largest colleges dedicated solely to the education of women. The Smith science faculty employs some of the finest researchers and teachers in the country. In 1999 Smith became the first women's college in the nation to establish its own program in engineering science, the Picker Engineering Program.

Central to the program is a learning environment that is rich in role models. SSEP offers hands-on, cooperative, investigative, and challenging learning—where girls get all of the faculty's attention as well as the opportunities and encouragement to achieve their best. Smith undergraduate students with science majors also serve as teaching assistants.

Research Courses

Unlike regular school classes, SSEP research courses emphasize asking questions and learning by doing, not only by listening and watching.

Students choose two two-week research courses; in these, groups of up to 17 students work alongside Smith faculty members, assisted by undergraduate interns. Informal lectures in the laboratory and out in the field encourage students to ask research questions, and they learn to conduct actual experiments. Most of the work is carried out as a cooperative team effort, with ample opportunities for individual contributions. SSEP participants learn how scientists and engineers formulate questions, work on amazingly sophisticated scientific instruments, and develop valuable critical thinking and analytical skills.