Greater Alabama Black Belt Region (GABBR) STEM Program
2024 Summer STEM Academy Dates: Monday, June 3 - Wednesday, July 3
2024 Summer STEM Academy Student Flyer
2024 Student Application Form
2024 Instructor Application Form
2024 Program Information for Instructors
The GABBR Black Belt STEM Program, launched in Fall 2017, is an extension of the Greater Alabama Black Belt Region Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (GABBR LSAMP). The goal of the program is to increase college readiness among students from the Black Belt Region of Alabama (including Barbour, Bullock, Butler, Choctaw, Crenshaw, Dallas, Greene, Hale, Lowndes, Macon, Marengo, Montgomery, Perry, Pickens, Pike, Russell, Sumter, and Wilcox counties) by expanding their content knowledge in core subject areas (mathematics, science, and English) and mentoring, allowing them to progress along a path toward college/university admission and successful studies in STEM.
A key component of the program is the in-person five-week STEM Summer Academy. Academies were implemented at Bullock County High School in Union Springs, Alabama in 2018 and 2019. In 2020 and 2021, virtual academies were held using Zoom software for students from Bullock, Macon, Montgomery, and Elmore Counties. In 2022 and 2023, the program returned to an in-person format. 2024 academies will be held in-person in Bullock, Conecuh, and Montgomery Counties.
Classes for the Academy are held from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, Monday through Thursday. In addition to classroom work, students have participated in hands-on learning activities, virtual NASA simulations, and traveled for field trips to Franklin Field Airport in Union Springs, Southern Power Plant Franklin in Smiths Station, the US Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, the Southern Company Aerial Services facility in Birmingham, and the Auburn University Regional Airport and Auburn University campus. A graduation ceremony for the students is held at the conclusion of each academy.
The program is supported by GABBR LSAMP, Auburn University, the Alabama State Department of Education, Alabama K-12 School Districts, and the Alabama Cooperative Extension System.
For more information, please direct inquiries to lsamp@auburn.edu.