Enrolling at Bridgewater this fall as a new freshmen?
Start doing research right away in Math and Science!

Through STREAMS, Bridgewater runs a Summer Bridge Program for 16 incoming science and math freshmen each summer. In Summer 2013, the program will run in late July and early August for three weeks. Students who participate earn a $450 stipend, receive scholarships that pay for two college classes, and perform research in labs with Bridgewater faculty and students.

Students in the past three years in the program have earned higher grades and completed more science and math courses in their first year at Bridgewater than their peers who did not participate.

All students interested in the program must contact Dr. Stephen Waratuke swaratuke@bridgew.edu for more information.

You could be involved in scientific research before your friends even find out who their room-mate will be!

Summer Bridge Participant Nathan Kapurch (center) helps ATP Summer Grant Awardee Melissa Brulotte (left) transfer DNA samples from a centrifuge into a bucket of ice held by Summer Bridge Participant Lauren Tran.

During their research experience, Nathan and Lauren worked alongside Bridgewater State University faculty and advanced students to learn lab skills they will use for years.

Working in the Lab, getting to know experienced mentors.

Summer Bridge Participants Lacey Vasconcelos (front) and Alex Baribeau (in the blue shirt) learn from ATP Summer Grant Awardee Chris Goncalo how to work a Rotavap to remove any volatile gases from a chemical sample.

Experiences such as these let students learn what it is like to really do science -- learning alongside more experienced BSU students conducting undergraduate research.

Summer Bridge students will take advantage of the opportunity to immerse themselves in BSU before the fall semester begins. The summer bridge program is paid for by a grant from the National Science Foundation and supported by a Project Compass Grant from the Nellie Mae Foundation and through funds from Student Affairs.

Student participants will have the opportunity to

• live for 3 weeks in East Hall free of charge
• be immersed in undergraduate research with top BSU science and math scholars
• take an innovative mathematics course (Math 125: Integrated Science and Mathematics)
• complete their First Year Seminar (Physics 199: Scientists at Work)
• visit local attractions including the Boston Museum of Science and the Pawtucket Red Sox
• receive $450 in cash for participating in research activities

This course is designed to prepare incoming science and mathematics students in the STREAMS summer bridge program for calculus. In this course, students will study mathematics in the context of how it arises in the sciences. Emphasis is placed on measuring and interpreting rates of change, modeling relationships using functions, using units and dimensional analysis, and communicating quantitative ideas in graphs and data.

Student assignments will be drawn from their research experiences and Essential Mathematics and Statistics for Scientists, 2nd Ed by Currell & Dowman. The text will be provided free of charge to students in the summer bridge program during the summer.

This First Year Seminar is specially designed for incoming science and math majors. It is writing and math intensive and includes a significant laboratory immersion experience in scientific research. By balancing math and writing assignments, research experiences, and class activities, students will learn how scientists think and what scientists do.

All first year students at BSU are required to take a writing intensive first year seminar. The rationale for these courses is that by writing one learns to organize thoughts and ideas, find and present evidence, and compose a thesis. In this class, students will learn about how scientists think and what counts as a scientific argument by writing about science the way scientists do.

Students will be supported in writing by a team of mentors including course instructors, a faculty research advisor, an advanced undergraduate research mentor, peer writing mentors, and other students in class.