Elementary, Middle and High Schoolers - Please check out MESA club at your school!!
Maryland MESA (Math, Engineering, Science Achievement) is an exciting and engaging after-school program for students in grades 3–12 designed to spark their interest in STEM education and STEM careers. Maryland MESA is administered by Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) and joins ten other MESA USA programs in serving over 49,000 students annually. This program aims to provide an accessible, inclusive, and nurturing environment for all club members regardless of race, gender, or socioeconomic status. Through project-based team competitions, students experience engineering, computer programming, physics, and many more STEM disciplines while developing strong communication and collaboration skills. MESA students are able to see the real-world applications of what they are learning in school, develop the STEM skills they will need in the future, and begin to see themselves in STEM careers.
Through participation in MESA, students have the opportunity to develop leadership skills, boost their achievement, and gain greater confidence in their ability to compete professionally. A fully developed MESA club provides a deep, holistic experience for students; they do not simply focus on the competition. The MESA club meeting is a thriving beehive of STEM-related activities and experiences.
The Maryland MESA model comprises the following seven components:
MESA club meetings
Computer programming instruction
Communication skills development
Academic support, tutoring, and counseling
Career exploration
Field trips
MESA competitions
These seven components of the Maryland MESA program include deep, meaningful experiences that provide an avenue for students to:
develop an interest in and explore STEM-related careers
build content knowledge and skills
develop and practice soft skills necessary for success in college and the workforce (for example, project planning, oral communication, writing, collaboration with others); and
build grit—the passion and perseverance needed to complete a STEM degree and enter a STEM career.
For more information, please check out the link - https://secwww.jhuapl.edu/stem/mesa/
