The University of Florida Center for Precollegiate Education and Training Announces Summer
Programs for 2015!
57th Annual Student Science Training Program- June 9 – July 25
The Student Science Training Program at the University of Florida (UF SSTP) is a seven-week residential
research participation program for gifted and highly talented high school rising seniors and juniors who are
considering pursuing science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) majors in college. The UF SSTP
creates an environment that promotes the academic and personal growth of students, helping each develop
important interpersonal, organizational, professional communication, and leadership skills in an academically
enriching setting.
The program focuses on research participation with UF faculty mentors and their lab team, including
undergraduate and graduate students, post-docs, and research staff. Each UF SSTP participant is matched to a
lab according to his/her interest, experience, and career goals. Students spend a minimum of 28 hours each
week doing research. By the end of the program, students will have produced a quality research paper, a
research poster, and presented two science talks. Students also attend daily lectures or seminars given by UF
research faculty on current topics, such as Molecular Anthropology: From Colonization Theories to Complex
Diseases and Ethical Controversies in Science.
Students participate in a UF Interdisciplinary Honors Seminar Course. These small group classes are taught by
post-docs, PhD candidates, and medical school students and emphasize cutting edge research. Students indicate
a preference for seminar topics which change yearly and have ranged from Cancer Biology and Therapeutics to
Carbon Nanotube Technology for Energy Applications to Science in the News.
The UF SSTP provides a well-rounded experience. Students participate in social, service, and recreational
activities, attend weekend field trips, and have unstructured time to network and build long-lasting friendships
with their peers.
Applications for the 2015 Student Science Training Program are now available! Visit www.cpet.ufl.edu for
more information and to link to the application.
Humanities and the Sunshine State: Exploring Florida’s Past, Present, and Future- June 14- 19
For the first time ever, the Center for the Humanities and the Public Sphere in the College of Liberal Arts and
Sciences, working with the Center for Precollegiate Education and Training at the University of Florida, has
organized a week-long seminar entitled “Humanities and the Sunshine State: Exploring Florida's Past,
Present, and Future”. From 14 – 19 June 2015, this course will provide 24 rising high school juniors and
seniors interested in the humanities with a meaningful college experience that capitalizes on the unique history
and environment of Florida. Tapping into the expertise of 18 leading faculty, librarians, and graduate students in
multiple humanities disciplines at the University of Florida and Santa Fe College, the seminar will offer
participants extensive interaction with experts in multiple fields and allow them to develop their skills through
capstone research projects that capture some of the week’s experiences.
During the seminar, students will explore a variety of topics and issues relevant to Florida, including a hands-on
approach to the changing cultural landscape of North Central Florida, sustainability and food justice issues tied
to the health of our springs and the farms that sustain us, challenges faced by a diverse state, and the role of
architectural symbols like football stadiums that create opportunities for community-building. By mixing visits
to special collections – where students will get first-hand access to original historical documents – with site
visits to both natural and human-shaped landscapes including Cedar Key, Silver Glen State Park, Cross Creek
State Park, and a locally-sourced restaurant, we will maintain a balance between the theoretical and practical.
With sessions on oral history interviews and hands-on training on the I-pads that each student will have
available to them for collecting and curating the material for group presentations, the students will not only
document but also frame and critique that what they have learned. Students will gain not only the experience of
doing humanities scholarship, but also an appreciation of the relevance of a liberal arts education in negotiating
daily life.
Humanities and the Sunshine State will provide a well-rounded college experience to participating students,
including two day-long field trips, hands-on archival experience, social and recreational activities (including
bowling and a canoe outing on the Santa Fe River), and unstructured time to network and build long-lasting
friendships with their peers.
Applications for Humanities and the Sunshine State will be available in January 2015.
www.cpet.ufl.edu for more information and to link to the application.
Visit
Science Quest 2015- June 21 – June 26 and July 5 – July 10
Science Quest immerses students in various bench and field laboratories to stimulate interest and appreciation
for the range of college and career opportunities available in science. Students live in a campus dorm for one
week, attend a variety of lectures and demonstrations, visit research laboratories, and engage in multiple science
experiments. Students have the opportunity to interact with technical staff members, graduate and medical
students and various UF faculty members.
Science Quest participants explore topics in Engineering, Geology, and Physics; delving into the molecular
sciences with an emphasis on biomedical, environmental, and forensic applications; investigating research areas
in Entomology, Microbiology, and Zoology. The University of Florida offers a unique range of research topics
and activities, which helps expose the participants to a greater depth of scientific practice than is available
anywhere else in the state. Participants will be expected to learn, synthesize and apply new ideas to a
culminating group project.
Applications for the 2015 Science Quest will be available in January 2015. Visit www.cpet.ufl.edu for more
information and to link to the application.
**New Program** STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) Quest; Exploring Art and
Science; Cabinets of Curiosity- July 12 – July 18
STEAM Quest immerses rising 11th grade students in various art and science disciplines to stimulate curiosity
and appreciation for the range of college degrees and career opportunities available in science and art. Students
become Gators for a week living on campus and experiencing dorm life, visiting research laboratories and
artists’ studios, entering the behind the scenes world of art and science museums, including the Florida Museum
of Natural History and the Harn Museum of Art and attending a variety of lectures and demonstrations.
STEAM Quest participants explore the sciences, such as Engineering, Microbiology, and Ecology, and the arts,
such as painting, sculpture, and dance, with renowned scientists and artists from the University of Florida who
are leading the way to preeminence at this research university.
STEAM Quest is experiential learning in the model of leading universities. Students will create their own
“cabinet of curiosity” through an innovative sketchbook approach developed at UF suitable for non-majors as
well as majors. This is an enrichment program for students that focuses on cultivating curiosity and creativity
through hands on exposure to the dynamic worlds of art and science. Rising 11th grade students will have
unique learning experiences that only UF can provide from its distinguished science and art programs. More
information and the application coming soon! Please visit http://www.cpet.ufl.edu/steam-quest/.
During Renaissance Europe, people created personal collections of science objects and art pieces. These collections were known as
“cabinets of curiosities” or “wonder rooms.” Science objects and art pieces were not isolated in these cabinets of curiosities, but
instead sat side by side in an attempt to explain the natural world. Cabinets of curiosities are a reminder of the shared inquiry and
creativity that binds scientists and artists. (For more information please visit: http://www.bl.uk/learning/timeline/item107648.html)