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The Goal: Achieve "SMASHing" Results
The goals of SMASH are to:
- Prepare students from underrepresented communities to be competitive in science, technology, engineering, and math-related studies (STEM) at the University of California or schools of similar caliber.
- Educate students about graduate school opportunities and encourage them to eventually attend in order to further pursue professional, STEM-related studies or careers.
- Encourage a sense of social responsibility through promotion of critical thinking, civic awareness and leadership.
Nurturing Potential
Fact: We need more black doctors, Hispanic scientists, and female engineers and mathematicians. Consider these telling statistics:
- According to a recent National Science Foundation study, only 24 percent of workers employed in a science and engineering occupation were woman, around 3 percent were black, another 3 percent were Hispanic, and less than 1 percent were American Indian.
- In 2001, of the more than 400,000 bachelor degrees given in science or math, only 8 percent went to African Americans, 7 percent to Hispanics, and less than 1 percent to American Indians, according to the National Science Foundation's Division of Science Resources Statistics.
For this situation to change, the Level Playing Field Institute believes that historically underrepresented minorities in these fields benefit from early and consistent exposure to opportunities in math, science and technology.
They need to have their passion for these studies cultivated and nurtured. They also need role models in the community that will support their interests.
With our Summer Math & Science Honors (SMASH) Academy, students get more than a fighting chance - they get an educational edge that levels that playing field.
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