ASPIRE High School Mentoring Program
The ASPIRE High School Mentoring Program places qualified students recommended by their schools into one-on-one internships with APL staff members for research projects or career experiences based on the work at APL. The students receive credits toward graduation or other formal recognition.
High school juniors and seniors who are interested in interning at APL should contact their school's Gifted and Talented or internship coordinator. Private schools may contact the APL STEM Program Management Office.
To learn more about this program, please visit our ASPIRE webpage.
College Prep Program
The College Prep Program (CPP) is a free summer program that supports and encourages underserved students who have the desire and academic potential to go to college but lack the mentoring and resources necessary to succeed. Students who participate in CPP receive mentoring from STEM professionals and learn how to apply to college and succeed once enrolled.
Please visit www.collegeprepprogram.org for more information.
Girl Power
APL hosts Girl Power, a STEM expo, with support from The Women's Giving Circle of Howard County, Maryland MESA, and the Maryland Space Business Roundtable. This one-day event is held annually in March and features hands-on activities, cool demonstrations, and take-home material for middle school and high school girls to encourage interest in STEM careers. Girls have the opportunity to talk to professional women in STEM careers such as aerospace, computer science, electrical engineering, geology, information technology, and space mission engineering.
For more information, please contact the APL STEM Program Management Office.
Phone: 240-228-STEM (Washington, DC, area) or 443-778-STEM (Baltimore area)
E-mail: APLSTEM@jhuapl.edu
Maryland MESA
APL sponsors the Maryland chapter of MESA (Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement), a national STEM program that engages students in hands-on applications of math, engineering, science, and technology concepts through projects and competitions. In addition, high school students participate in college preparation workshops and presentations, which include information about the college admission process.
Phone: 240-228-5382 (Washington, DC, area) or 443-778-5382 (Baltimore area)
E-mail: Maryland.MESA@jhuapl.edu
APL/NASA Education and Public Outreach
The Education and Public Outreach (E/PO) office in the APL Space Department strives to excite and inspire the next generation of explorers by creating hands-on, minds-on learning experiences. From the Sun to Pluto and beyond, APL is engineering the future of space exploration—examining Earth's near-space environment, our star, planetary bodies, and the outer solar system. The E/PO office provides unique opportunities for students, educators, museums, science centers, and the public to share in the excitement of the missions that APL manages for NASA. The E/PO team makes space exploration an adventure for students of all ages and remains committed to delivering the message that "we are all explorers."
The APL/NASA E/PO "For Kids" website provides information about and links to NASA and other APL Civil Space programs, as well as activities and fun games.
Python Programming
This Howard County Public School middle school Gifted and Talented (G/T) computer programming class provides opportunities for motivated and highly able students to learn fundamental programming skills. Students gain hands-on experience using the computer to solve problems in mathematics, physics, and engineering. Course content has been developed as part of a continuing collaboration with volunteer staff members from APL. Students read and write programs in the open-source Python programming language, learn fundamental programming concepts common to most modern languages (for example, variables, values, and types; arrays and iteration; etc.), and apply those concepts to the solution of a series of incrementally challenging problems.
This program is offered at a limited number of schools. Students who are interested in participating should contact their school's Gifted and Talented coordinator.
Robotics Programs
APL partners with FIRST Robotics and BotBall to host competition events, start new teams, provide technical support for teams, and supply first-year teams with team shirts and loaner robotics kits as needed.
For more information, please contact the APL STEM Program Management Office.
Phone: 240-228-STEM (Washington, DC, area) or 443-778-STEM (Baltimore area)
E-mail: APLSTEM@jhuapl.edu
