NJCU STEAM Academy

MISSION STATEMENT

STEAM Academy at New Jersey City University is a grant-funded, summer enrichment program preparing diverse, motivated middle and high schoolers for futures in science, tech, engineering, the arts, and math. For six summer weeks, high-achieving 7th-11th graders immerse themselves in advanced coursework in calculus, biology, computer science and more on NJCU's vibrant campus. Select students in Year 4 that wish to pursue college credit can choose to enroll in undergraduate courses to gain a competitive edge.

Through dynamic classroom instruction and hands-on labs, students not only master high-level content but discover their passions. STEAM Academy fuels the STEAM workforce pipeline by inspiring students to pursue higher education and careers propelling the next generation of innovation. Support from school districts, foundations and corporations helps make this life-shaping opportunity possible.

BACKGROUND

In 1996 NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) and HACU (Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities) created Proyecto Access (USPA), a nationwide, free summer enrichment program, to increase the number of middle and high school students who would be interested in pursuing careers related to mathematics, science, engineering and technology, and to increase the number of female students interested in such academic areas.

The USPA educational and administrative model was based on the Texas Pre-Freshman Engineering Program (TexPREP) which was established in Texas in 1979. The academic component of TexPREP consists of three consecutive, seven-week summer enrichment activities focusing on mathematics, sciences and computer sciences. Incoming eighth-graders are constituted as the first year cohort. Those students who successfully complete the first session are invited to attend two more summers.

Assessments of both TexPREP and USPA demonstrated high retention and success rates within the three-year cycle of the summer sessions, and throughout the years the programs were in operation. Furthermore, these assessments have strongly suggested an increase not only in the aforementioned academic areas, but also in the academic success of the program's graduates in high school and college.

As a member of the USPA conglomerate, New Jersey City University Proyecto Access (NJCU-PA) followed the core curriculum of the nationwide program. However, since its inception, NJCU-PA incorporated additional academic and non-academic activities into the core program. The basic nationwide model was enhanced with classes such as Website Development, Chess, Photography, Advanced Placement Statistics, Computer Architecture and Robotics. NJCU-PA initiatives were replicated in other Proyecto Access sites in the country such as New York at the Hostos Community College.

The majority of USPA funding was provided by NASA and was supplemented by in-kind and financial contributions from the participating institutions, school districts and other sponsors. The consortium of 10 educational institutions ended in the spring of 2005 when NASA discontinued the program's financial support.

Over the years, with additional financial support from the participating school districts, Provident Bank (Bayonne), HACU and the Shell Oil Foundation, NJCU-PA added a fall component. In 2004, a spring component was added. Participants who were invited in the Fall Semester attended applied technology classes on Saturday mornings; and in the spring a new cohort of Jersey City first-year students attended preparatory sessions and joined the summer session as second-year participants. This fall/spring component was named Proyecto Science.

In the spring of 2005, after NASA's nationwide withdrawal as a sponsor, Proyecto Access program, NJCU, HACU and the school districts of Bayonne and Jersey City combined resources to continue the program at NJCU under the name of NJCU Proyecto Science Consortium, or simply, Proyecto Science. In 2009, Proyecto Science expanded its recruitment reach to a second site in East Hanover, New Jersey. As a result of its success, the community gathered together to raise funds for the second year cohort in the 2010 Proyecto Science summer program at East Hanover.

In 2010 additions were made to further enhance the program. Reading Across the Curriculum, Urban Environmental Science and more hands-on activities and experiments in the classes were implemented. Additional instructors and staff members were hired to strengthen the curriculum, oversee the chess club and tournament, and to serve as liaisons between the main campus, the University Charter School and East Hanover site. Through combined efforts, the program has gone through extraordinary changes that will continue to benefit students.

In 2012, Explore 2000 Middle School of the Hudson County Schools of Technology partnered with Proyecto Science as an initiative to have their students experience the sciences and mathematics taught at a higher level and in a way that is different than they do during the academic year. 

Revision of the Proyecto Science curriculum began in 2013 for the 2014 program year. Curricula was revised to meet the Common Core State Standards for mathematics. As of 2014, first year students were enrolled in Algebra, Biology I: Life Science, Computer Science, and Physics I. Second year students were enrolled in Chemistry, Geometry, Physics II, and Pre-Calculus. Third year students were enrolled in Biology II: Anatomy and Physiology, Calculus, Physics III, and Probability and Statistics.

In 2020, the Proyecto Science program successfully completed a fully online teaching curriculum because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, we were able to offer a hybrid program to give parents/students flexibility to accommodate their needs with the ongoing pandemic. We also expended the program to add an extra year of enrollment starting in the summer of 2021 in which students can attend the STEM program for up to four consecutive years. Our program is always adapting to accommodate students despite the difficulties that arise.

As of 2023, first year students were enrolled in Algebra, Biology I: Life Science, Computer Science I, and Physics I. Second year students were enrolled in Chemistry, Geometry, Physics II, Pre-Calculus, Computer Science II. Third year students were enrolled in Biology II: Anatomy and Physiology, Calculus, Physics III, and Probability and Statistics. Fourth year students were enrolled in Calculus II, Microbiology, Chemistry II, and Computer Science III.

In 2024, Proyecto Science changed leadership to Dr. Wanda Rutledge and Dr. Samantha Kozar, and the importance of problem-based, project-based learning central to STEAM education took root. In late 2024, the Proyecto Science Summer Program officially became the NJCU STEAM Academy, embracing the arts and humanities, underlying the importance of design thinking at the intersection of computational and engineering skills. 

New for Summer 2025, students in Year 4 will have a clear pathway to 3-credit college courses from New Jersey City University's undergraduate catalogue, which will further accelerate the academic growth and development of our students.