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Summer STEM Program

Two students work on assembling an electronics circuit on a bread board. A room of students have computers out to work on programming microcontrollers. Students are watching a scientist do a flame test in a safety hood. Students in the Rube Goldberg class prototype components with cardboard and cups before 3D printing final parts. Summer STEM students test a gear for an elevator in the Rube Goldberg machine. Microcontrollers and breadboards used by Summer STEM students to assemble electronics. Alternative energy students prepare a viscosity test in a safety hood. Sustainable and green energy students test prototypes to gather energy from wind.

2020 Summer STEM applications will open January 6, 2020. 

Program dates and projects will be announced on January 6, 2020.

 

Program Description: The Summer STEM Program is a six-week intensive that immerses students in hands-on engineering design and problem-solving. Class projects cover topics from current problems in civil, chemical, electrical, and mechanical engineering. Students gain knowledge in an engineering field and guidance to address a real-world problem by designing and engineering a team project.  

Classes: Projects descriptions from 2019 are found here.  We will announce the 2020 projects on January 6, 2020. You will select a first and second choice on your application.

Program Period: TBD

Daily Schedule: Monday through Thursday, 9:30 am to 3:30 pm

Cost: TBD, Full and half tuition scholarships and application fee waivers will be available

Admissions: 

  • A high school sophomore or junior during the 2019-2020 school year
  • Able to reside in New York City for the entire program.  We cannot provide visa assistance for international students
  • An average student in the program has a GPA of 3:0 in their English, math and science classes and describes themselves as motivated, hard-working, creative, and passionate about making a change in the world

Application Deadline: Application and Recommendation letters must be submitted by March 27, 2020 

Note: Acceptance or rejection to the Cooper Union Summer STEM Program does not affect entrance to Cooper Union’s undergraduate program. However, your performance in Summer STEM may be  considered if you apply to the undergraduate program.

The Summer STEM program is supported through generous donations from the Jon Ben Snow Foundation, the New York Building Foundation, and The Henry Sterne Trust.

  • Founded by inventor, industrialist and philanthropist Peter Cooper in 1859, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art offers education in art, architecture and engineering, as well as courses in the humanities and social sciences.

  • “My feelings, my desires, my hopes, embrace humanity throughout the world,” Peter Cooper proclaimed in a speech in 1853. He looked forward to a time when, “knowledge shall cover the earth as waters cover the great deep.”

  • From its beginnings, Cooper Union was a unique institution, dedicated to founder Peter Cooper's proposition that education is the key not only to personal prosperity but to civic virtue and harmony.

  • Peter Cooper wanted his graduates to acquire the technical mastery and entrepreneurial skills, enrich their intellects and spark their creativity, and develop a sense of social justice that would translate into action.