Thirty SSI participants are joined by their faculty mentors for a photo at the conclusion of the symposium. Photo by Karen Pearlman.
The University of Mary Washington’s Summer Science Institute (SSI) has given UMW students the chance to conduct trailblazing undergraduate STEM research – analyzing cancer cells, carbon dioxide reduction and complex computer coding – for a quarter of a century.
Many of these young scientists had access to their summer studies because of the scholarships, research fellowships and scientific presentation grants funded by Irene Piscopo Rodgers ’59.
“Irene had a long history of supporting STEM majors in pursuing their passion through research,” said College of Arts and Sciences Dean Keith Mellinger, who outlined the history of SSI and recognized the more than 500 students who have participated in research with UMW faculty since its inception. The transformational $30 million estate gift she left the University has resulted in noticeable growth for the program, especially in the last couple of years, he said, from 14 students in the late 1990s to 30 students this summer. “And this trajectory will continue. More faculty, more students, more projects, more lives changed.” Read more.