Business partners sought to support STEM Pathways program
REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The Oregon State University-Cascades Innovation Co-Lab and Central Oregon STEM Hub are partnering to offer a unique summer opportunity for a pilot group of computer science high school students from Crook County, Redmond and Summit high schools.
Through this initiative, up to 15 high school students will have the opportunity to work on projects that build job skills and career connections over 13 weeks this summer.
“We’re looking for business and community partners who have a project for these students to tackle,” said Tracy Willson-Scott, coordinator of the Central Oregon STEM Hub. “If they don't have a project, but want to participate as our initial champions, they can also donate to have a project completed for a local non-profit.”
According to Willson-Scott, the hope is for the summer pilot project to grow into an ongoing partnership opportunity for high school students to learn alongside OSU-Cascades students, faculty and local business professionals. The Co-Lab will support students by helping them draft their resumes, teaching them important job skills through real-world projects, and mentoring them about the relationship between college majors, job skills, and careers.
“Our goal is to guide students as they take on real-world projects for clients by teaching them how to understand a scope of work, manage a project timeline, and communicate,” said Adam Krynicki, executive director at Oregon State University-Cascades Innovation Co-Lab.
STEM Pathways Program students will be working on two types of projects:
- Client Consulting Projects which could include researching industry/market trends, building data integrations using a variety of software, building data dashboards, or creating simple mobile or web apps using tools like Bubble, Airtable, or Stacker.
- Community Projects which could involve students helping local nonprofits or municipalities with their software, data integration, or other computing needs.
“We’re excited to help students build connections that might inspire them to make Central Oregon their home and become part of the local skilled workforce after graduation,” said Wilson-Scott.
Business/community leaders interested in submitting a project (deadline June 21) or sponsoring a student, can visit the STEM Pathways Program or contact Adam Krynicki with the OSU-Cascades Innovation Co-Lab or Tracy Willson-Scott with the CO STEM Hub.
About the OSU-Cascades Innovation Co-Lab
The OSU-Cascades Innovation Co-Lab is an incubator for startups, small businesses, and nonprofits. As part of its initiatives, the Co-Lab provides advising services and manages a student consultancy where students work on projects across the community while building job skills. More info may be found at https://osucascades.edu/co-lab.
About Central Oregon STEM Hub
The Central Oregon STEM Hub, a program of the High Desert Education Service District, connects regional Pre K-12 education systems, higher education, community organizations, and business and industry partners to align, enhance, and catalyze new opportunities and exploration in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). More info may be found at https://centraloregonstem.org/.
