Lehigh’s Summer Engineering Institute (SEI) has been awarded a $5,000 grant from the PPL Foundation. The funds will be used to expose high school juniors and seniors from underrepresented groups to STEM through hands-on collaborative projects, dynamic classroom discussion, and field trips to regional science and tech/businesses and research centers. The program, which is hosted by the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science, offers two, two-week sessions each summer. 

“Each year, SEI brings more than 100 motivated young people selected by our school district partners to Lehigh’s campus for an immersive educational experience,” says Laura Moyer, the program’s director. “This hands-on approach—living and learning in a cooperative, team-based environment—builds their interest in topics like robotics, bioengineering, and materials science and fosters a can-do attitude that a future career in these fields is in reach.”

Through strategic partnerships, the PPL Foundation will support organizations that are working to create vibrant, sustainable communities and empowering each citizen to fulfill her or his potential. The PPL Foundation contributes more than $3 million annually to a wide variety of nonprofit organizations in north and central Pennsylvania.

 
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Students doing experiments

Students at Lehigh University's Summer Engineering Institute engage in labs, classrooms, and field trips, learning alongside college-aged mentors and faculty members.

Students doing lab experiment