Thomas More College launches new STEM program targeting 3,000 NKY students

Thomas More College has launched a new STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) program, partnering with eight Northern Kentucky High Schools to train teachers and educate 3,000 students.

The three-year Thomas More STEM Initiative (TSI) is funded through a $360,000 grant from the Toyota USA Foundation. TSI is designed to develop and increase quality and diversity of STEM teachers in underserved areas of Northern Kentucky, and to raise student interest in STEM learning.

"The Thomas More STEM Initiative is a response to a regional and national need. We as a nation are falling behind in science and technological abilities. The future development of our region and our country is negatively impacted by such a decline. The partnership is directed very precisely at responding to this crisis," said Thomas More College President Margaret Stallmeyer.

Thomas More is partnering with: Bellevue High School, Bishop Brossert High School, Dayton High School, Holy Cross High School, Lloyd Memorial High School, Ludlow High School, Newport High School and Newport Central Catholic High School.

Starting this fall, 1,000 students will go through the STEM program each year.

"It will include numerous interactions between TMC and the schools and will present a diverse array of activities. It formally begins this summer with a teacher workshop, followed by classroom visits and online communication throughout the year, in addition to field trips to our STEM facilities, including our science labs here on campus, the Bank of Kentucky Observatory and the Biology Field Station, along the river," said Dr. Chris Lorentz, biology professor and director of Thomas More College's Biology Field Station.

At the end of each year, five top students will be selected to attend a weeklong summer camp at Thomas More. That week they'll live on campus, conduct research, and work with campus STEM majors.

"Not only do we hope to increase the number of overall STEM majors in our region, our focus will be on those students currently underrepresented in the STEM disciplines. We know that many of today's jobs already require STEM skills and even more of tomorrow's jobs will demand STEM graduates," Dr. Lorentz said.