Program Overview

The core of the Institute consists of a series of semester long research apprenticeships that may be taken in sequential order or as stand-alone courses and are intended for both the student with a committed interest in a possible STEM career and the student who is exploring STEM research for the first time. Each course in the 9th and 10th grade teaches a collection of unique skill sets within specific STEM fields that complement the regular scope & sequence of the RPCS math and science programs, and all of the courses employ differentiated instruction to meet the academic needs of students with prior STEM experience as well as those of the novice researcher. While graduates of the Institute will be expected to take all 4 semesters during 9th & 10th grade, the year-long 11th Grade STEM Internship, and develop a final portfolio of major work completed, the units and semesters in 9th and 10th grade remain autonomous, and any student may take any one (or more) of the semester courses on a Pass/Fail basis.

Graduates of the Institute will take this year long introduction to the overlap of science and engineering. Students will explore materials science and environmental impact to develop a novel sunscreen formula and the package to contain it for retail purposes. Students will learn how to develop an engineering research proposal, how to create and test a prototype for quality control, and how to present their findings in a Stage Gate. All students will complete a culminating project examining a sustainable design challenge of their own choosing.

STEM Seminar 1A		STEM Seminar 1B
Science	Foundational skills including literature search for exploratory science	Engineering	Ethical case studies; design process; budget; timelines.
Tech	Programming to create models	Math	Applied
STEM Seminar 2A		STEM Seminar 2B
Math	Formal	Math	Statistical Analysis
Tech	Use and create 2D & 3D models	Science	Modelling Phenomena (e.g. social media, markets, etc.)