WiSE Outreach & Volunteer Opportunities

Click here to view pictures of last year's program.

Stay tuned for more information about this year's programs. If you have questions or would like to get involved email Karen Kwei .

Listings of Current Outreach and Volunteer Programs: (with special thanks to Kaitlin Goldstein)

Brown Outreach in the Math and Sciences Currently in Existence at Hope

Hope High School H2O after-school homework help: H2O, the after-school program at Hope High School, run by Jen Johnson, begins every week-day with one hour of homework help from 3-4PM. Brown students comprise a large body of the volunteers needed to keep this vital program alive.

College Calculus at Hope High School though Rex Cheung: With support from the Starr Fellowship at Brown, Rex Cheung began an after-school, college-level calculus program at Hope High, staffed with members from the Mathematics Department of Undergraduates Group (DUG). The program meets twice a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:30 -6:30 in the context of Hope High’s after school Program, H2O.  Throughout the year, students from Hope cover the material presented in a first semester equivalent introductory calculus course at Brown. The material and lesson plans are derived from the KeyStone National High School, wherein exams and curricular checkpoints are provided such that the program remains on track, and reasonable demand is placed on both students and their University mentors.

Saturday Outreach at Brown

PCEP- Pre College Enrichment Program in Science: PCEP science offers 9th and 10th grade students from Times2 Academy, Hope and Central High School a unique exposure to Brown’s campus through weekly Saturday workshops. Students extend their experience in the sciences through engaging in hands-on science activities, viewing demonstrations, watching videos and performing experiments. Science is presented such that it is intrinsically linked to students’ life experiences, making a potentially foreign field close to home. PCEP meets Saturdays from 10-1, and breakfast and transportation is provided for all participants. In addition to the Saturday workshops, field trips broaden students’ contact and horizons, and an overnight stay on Brown’s campus allows participants to experience what college life is truly like.

College Access and Preparatory Programs

The College Guidance Project: The Guidance Project works in collaboration with the guidance offices at both Hope and Central High schools providing individual attention to college-bound seniors through workshops and personalized advising. While Lets Get Ready meets as an after school test preparatory program, the guidance project meets during the school day, aiding students with each step of an often long and complicated application and decision making process.

Let's Get Ready!: Let’s get Ready provides free SAT test preparation for 11th and 12th graders at Hope and Central High Schools during the semester leading up to the date of their testing. A group of dedicated Brown volunteers work closely with students, reinforcing skills in both the math and verbal components of the exam. The program meets on a weekly basis and provides coaching in general test-taking strategies as well as in the specific fields analyzed within the SAT.

OLEEP- Outdoor Leadership and Environmental Education Project: OLEEP is a Brown partnership with Providence’s Met Schools currently facilitated and run by members of the Geology Department’s Undergraduate Group. The program is unique in that it encourages outdoor leadership education through a combination of student’s personal connection with city both linked and contrasted to the wilderness, a world of the unknown. The relationship between Brown and Met students is symbiotic, and develops through a year long program of one-on-one mentoring, educational workshops, fieldtrips, backpacking, outdoor awareness and leadership training. Contact: Brian Yellen, Daniel Sonshine, Alexis Walker

http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Swearer_Center/programs/oleep.shtml

CityGirls: CityGirls is a collaborative pairing between Brown Student mentors and girls aged 11-14, hailing from the Boys and Girls Club of Providence. Through the program, students are able to visit Brown’s campus on a weekly basis, and are provided with both academic enrichment and leadership training. Contacts: Nikesha Walters, Leslie Robin, Karina Varma, Anna Rasulova

The Girls Math and Science Initiative: Through the Math and Science initiative, girls from the 5th to 8th grade at the Sophia Academy in downtown Providence are provided with a rigorous introduction to both chemistry and physics through interactive lessons and activities. Brown volunteers visit the Academy on a weekly basis, establishing a solid connection with the girls and providing a firm grounding in the hard sciences at a critical period in their development. Contact: Tamkieht Ho, Sarah Cabot

Providence Science Outreach: For a full academic year, one group of Brown students consistently enriches the science experience of a local Providence Public fifth grade classroom. The weekly arrangement provides visits to the same group of students, creating lasting and dependable connections between students and their mentors. These collections of Brown students span the city and create an environment wherein science is tangible, approachable, and fun, setting precedent for future positive exposure to the sciences at a young age. Contacts: Linnea Sanderson, Aaron Eisman

Mathematics at Mount Pleasant High School through Michel Schwartz: Currently, four members of the Math Undergraduates Department Group,  visit Mount Pleasant High School on Monday and Wednesday after the culmination of their school day. Announced over the loud-speaker is the availability of math tutors, while science help has also been provided. The source has proved invaluable, as numbers of students aware and in attendance continue to rise. Contact: Michel Schwartz

Mathematics Outreach through Women in Math in Science and Engineering (WISE) Affinity Group: Each year, the math WISE women invite local girl- scout troops to participate in their Girl Scout Math Badge Day. The girls engage in an afternoon of math activities culminating in a math badge for each of the scout participants.

Engineering: The Center for Advanced Materials Research

Classroom Module Program: The Classroom Module Program presents hands-on demonstrations created by Brown students in a topic of their choosing to K-12 classrooms of all nature, as well as to science clubs and organizations. The modules may be based upon independent student work, particular student passions, or certain topics that led them to further pursue their higher education in the sciences. All modules are designed to incorporate the R.I. curriculum through collaboration with a Faculty Outreach Coordinator and Middle School Consultant. The presentations are free of charge, current and past modules as well as booking information may be found at:

http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Advanced_Materials_Research/outreach/cm.htm

Geology Department

Rhode Island Space Grant: http://porter.geo.brown.edu/RI_Space_Grant/

Rhode Island Space Grant Public Programs: The Rhode Island Space Grant Program is a national program funded by NASA, intended to promote and enhance space-science related studies from elementary to gradate school. The Outreach projects are extensive. More can be found at:

http://www.spacegrant.brown.edu/RI_Space_Grant/overview.htm

Timothy Herbert and Laura Cleaveland: Timothy Herbert and student representatives from the graduate department in Geology work weekly on introductory geology lessons linked to a fundamentally involved and interested fourth grade teacher at two classrooms within the Vartan Gregorian School Elementary School in Fox Point. Project themes and lessons presented in the past have addressed: Space Science, Volcanoes and Earthquakes, and Plants and Soils.

Unfortunately, the program lacks external funding and is sustained through the dedication of the graduate students and Professor Herbert. Continued sustentation is contingent upon a means of supporting this work on a long-term basis. Contacts: Timothy Herbert and Laura Cleaveland

Professors Stein and Aizenman: Professor Stein has worked in collaboration with Professor Aizenman to build a foundation for the future in biology and neuroscience outreach potential at Brown. Proposals are currently submitted the future for work with both high-school biology teachers and students is extremely hopeful.

While these projects are currently future endeavors, Professor Stein has been extending his knowledge through classroom talks and demonstrations throughout Rhode Island. In addition his work has reached Girl Scout and Boy Scout Groups through all day events, as well as the mentally ill and their loved ones, providing neurophysiologic insight into the tribulations of their everyday lives. Through this work he continually addresses the Biological Basis for Behavior, encouraging the connection for students between neuroscience, and their everyday experience. In addition, his work on exercise physiology, nutrition, and personal fitness in relation to human physiology and the brain has provided students and adults alike with a new perspective and understanding of the need for regular exercise and proper nutrition. Contacts: Dr. Donogue, Professor Stein, Professor Aizenman

Professor Ruth Colwill: The Dog-Bite Prevention Program: Through a tri-part visitation to area elementary public schools, first, second, and third grade students are offered an absolutely unique introduction to the subject of animal behavior. While simultaneously educating students in a unique aspect of psychology, students begin to understand the processes undergone in the mind of a canine, and the outward expressive behavior that is a function of these cognitive events. The translation of this knowledge into practice is that these children are given the ability to essentially “read the minds” of our canine counterparts, keeping them out of harms way in potentially dangerous situations. Children learn interactively through slide-show presentations, puzzles, videos, and even a live licensed pet therapist dog, Lulu. Materials are brought home to share with family members, and the students involved learn science while having fun and keeping them safe concurrently.

Participate in WiSE Outreach days
Throughout the year, WiSE will organize specific days when girls in the Providence community visit Brown to learn about science and to encourage them to become interested in science. Games, activities, tours, etc. will be provided to these students and their families.

Many other one-time volunteer opportunities are available throughout the year. Look for announcements in the wise digests!