Winter 2000

• 2001: Not Just a Space Odyssey
• Why is MITE²S still needed?
• MITE²S 2000 Celebrates the Past and Future
• MITE²S 2000 Sponsors
• SEED to Spark Engineering Exploration
• New Workshops Introduced
• Design Will Have 2 Tracks
• Ron Brown Scholarship Winners
• 2000 Ramsey Award Winners
• Profile: Aprille Ericsson-Jackson, PhD; MITE '80
• William H. Ramsey '51 Fund: An Investment in the Future
• Let Us Know What's Happening

  [Newsletter Index Page]

2001: Not Just a Space Odyssey

By Karl W. Reid, Executive Director

“Eighty students!” I couldn't believe the words that emerged from my mouth. I had just walked out of a meeting with the Dean of Engineering to discuss my plans for the 2001 summer session when the anxiety of setting so lofty a goal hit me like an overdue problem set. The reality of growing the program by 30% just starts with a space challenge (that is, dormitory and classroom space). Airport and bus station transportation becomes more complex, instructional quality needs to be monitored more closely, not to mention the challenges of recruiting additional staff. All this adds up to stepped-up fundraising demands. I wondered if I should have left well enough alone. But the heart-wrenching calls each year from dozens of very qualified applicants (and their parents and guidance counselors) who are denied admission to MITE²S compels me to press on.

In the past five years, the program has seen a 187% increase in applications, from 212 in 1995 to 599 last year. Regrettably, in the same period, class size has only grown 48% (42 to 62). Consequently, MITE²S has become more selective than even MIT, with only 10% of applicants accepted in the program, compared to 15% for MIT.

To accommodate the expansion, we are moving to a lecture/recitation format where instructors will remain responsible for developing and delivering course content, while the tutors teach recitations twice per week. We are also adding sections in physics, biochemistry/chemistry, calculus and humanities (formerly “writing”). The design course will be split into two sections with the introduction of a new course in robotics sponsored by National Instruments. Of course, our quality teaching staff will also expand by two additional instructors and eight more tutors, bringing the summer teaching staff to 32.

If expanding MITE²S to 80 students was not enough, we are also planning to launch an academic year Saturday program in the fall of 2001. The MITE²S SEED (Saturday Engineering Exploration and Development) Academy will teach local 9th-12th graders mathematics and science topics in the context of project-based engineering curricula. At full capacity, the SEED Academy will accommodate 80 students (there's that number again).

With greater challenges ever before us, we must lean more heavily than ever before on our alumni and other sponsors for support this program as speakers, instructors and advisors, and financial contributions. MITE²S is unparalleled among elite summer programs to be free to all its participants. At a cost of $6000 per student (and $2000 per SEED Academy scholar), we rely heavily on external support to maintain the no-fee policy. I know you join me in looking forward to the day when accommodating 80 students will no longer be an odyssey, but the baseline.

Why is MITE²S still needed?

Programs such as MITE²S are needed because the targeted ethnic minority groups remain underrepresented in the technical fields. The National Science Foundation report, Women, Minorities and Persons With Disabilities in Science and Engineering: 2000 gives the following statistics:

In 1997

MITE²S 2000 Celebrates the Past and Future

On July 14 and 15, 2000, alumni from the past three decades joined the 62 participants of MITE²S 2000 in a weekend event “Celebrating 25 Years of Cultivating the Future.” Among the nearly 200 attendees marking this milestone were sponsors, former MITE²S staff, and guests from the MIT community.

The opening banquet featured Dr. Franklin Chang-Díaz (MIT Ph.D '77), NASA astronaut and researcher, who discussed the development of the VASIMR engine that will hurdle man to Mars in the next decade. Dr. Chang-Díaz, who is leading NASA's development of the plasma engine, told the MITE²S students that the pilots of the first manned mission to Mars in 2016 could be in the audience.

In the first of two riveting panel discussions, alumni Laura Robinson (MIT '80, MITE '75), Keith Terry (MITE '82), and Dr. Valerie Ward (MITES '84) shared about the impact the program had on their personal and professional development. Alumni Dr. Phillip De Leon (MITES '84), Dr. Aprille Ericsson-Jackson (MIT '86, MITE '80), and Linda Ystueta (MIT '88, '89, '98, MITE '83) discussed the social and cultural barriers they faced and overcame to succeed in science and engineering.

The luncheon speaker, Dr. John Wilson, Assistant Provost, MIT, delivered a passionate, motivating speech about the necessities and rewards of having vision and perseverance—particularly for people of color—to succeed in engineering and science.

During the closing banquet, Prof. Ernest Cravalho and Michael Craig were recognized for their special contributions. Cravalho was the program's founder and first lecturer. Craig has served a a calculus instructor since 1977. Craig had also served as academic coordinator and assistant director.

Sandra Begay-Campbell, Executive Director, American Indian Science & Engineering Society capped off the weekend events by giving a charge to the students and alumni to use their talents and abilities to help solve problems in their own communities in addition to those of the greater society.

We thank the following sponsors for underwriting the MITE²S 25th Anniversary Celebration: Delphi Automotive Systems; Luis Gonzales (MITES '87, MIT '92) and Luisa Bonillas; Roy W. Haygood (MIT'78); Johnson & Johnson; Merck & Company, Inc.; and Sierra Monlithics.

MITE²S 2000 Sponsors

We are indebted to the following major sponsors for supporting the 2000 session:

• 3M
• Bell Atlantic Foundation
• BP AMOCO Foundation
• Citigroup Foundation
• Chung '89/ Donath '86 Family Fund
• The Dibner Fund
• Norman Doelling '53
• DuPont Chemical Company
• Ford Motor Company Fund
• General Motors Foundation
• Alfonso and Maria Gonzalez
• The Kauffman Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
• Ronald A. Kurtz '54
• Lucent Technologies
• Merck & Company, Inc.
• Merrill Lynch
• MIT
• Progress Software Corp.
• Raytheon Corp.
• Texaco
• Reginald Van Lee '79

We are also indebted to the many individuals who contributed to the William H. Ramsey '51 Fund to help ensure the long-term financial stability of the MITE²S Program.

SEED to Spark Engineering Exploration

The MITE²S Saturday Engineering Exploration and Development (SEED) Academy, poised to open in the fall of 2001, will motive and equip promising minority high school student to pursue technical careers by strengthening their math, science and communications skills through hands-on engineering applications. Initially, the SEED Academy will serve 20 ninth graders, then add a new class of ninth graders in subsequent years while expanding the curriculum for the returning scholars. Ultimately, the program will accommodate 80 Boston and Cambridge-area high school students with 20 students from each grade 9 through 12.

On successive Saturdays during the school year, students will learn math and science in the context of an engineering discipline such as aeronautics in the mornings, and will apply the material in hands-on projects in the afternoon. A different engineering discipline will be studied each term. Through this program we hope that students will develop a passion for and mastery of math and science that the MITE²S program can draw upon for future candidates.

New Workshops Introduced

With personal development the goal, the MITE²S Program introduced two workshops in 2000. The first was based on the Obik Explorer™ online survey, which helped students to clarify their educational and career options. The result was an individual career map that suggested roles, college majors and internship ideas. Students then participated in the career workshop that taught them how to interpret the map. The second workshop, the Guaranteed 4.0 Learning System educational seminar, helped students improve their study skills. The seminar detailed a unique study method that guarantees students a perfect grade point average. The seminar enhanced their ability to learn principles and concepts, rather than memorizing information. Many of the students who applied the principles during the summer saw immediate results of working smarter.

Design Will Have 2 Tracks

Starting in 2001, MITE²S students will have the option of studying either classical mechanical engineering or a new course in robotics as part of the Engineering Design curriculum. National Instruments is underwriting the development of the new robotics design track and is also supplying the MITE²S Program with design kits. In the summer of 2000, National Instruments sponsored a paid internship for Kwame Green (MIT '01) to learn LabView and ROBOLAB products. During this school year, Kwame will develop the new design curriculum based on these products. In the summer of 2001, Kwame will train the design instructors and tutors and will serve as a design tutor.

National Instruments manufactures software and hardware products that leverage industry-standard computers and Internet technology for measurement and automation applications.

Ron Brown Scholarship Winners

MITE²S 1999 alumni Lauren Goins, Kara Lee, Donielle Newell, and Petra Sander, are 2000 Ron Brown Scholars. They join the distinguished list of Ron Brown scholars, which includes Ernest Scott, MITE²S 1998; Christopher Hunter, MITE²S 1997; and Marc Knight, MITE²S 1997.

Established in December 1996, the Ron Brown Scholar Program honors the memory of the late Secretary of Commerce Ronald H. Brown. The Program awards scholarships to academically talented, highly motivated African-American high school seniors who have demonstrated financial need, social commitment, and leadership potential. In addition to awarding each student $40,000 for college and providing guidance throughout their academic careers, the program coordinates a wide variety of summer study-abroad programs and internships, and underwrites Scholars' attendance at leadership programs including the National Outdoor Leadership School.

Lauren and Kara are attending Harvard University, Donelle attends Stanford and Petra is enrolled in Princeton. Way to go ladies!

2000 Ramsey Award Winners

Jordan McRae of Phoenix, AZ (left) and Saundra Quinlan of Laurelton, NY received the 2000 William H. Ramsey Awards. The awards are given to two students (one male and one female) who exhibit the “Spirit of MITE²S” as demonstrated by high academic performance, proven leadership ability, and a willingness to assist other students both academically and socially.

Profile: Aprille Ericsson-Jackson, PhD; MITE '80

Dr. Aprille Ericsson-Jackson received her Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical/Astronautical Engineering from MIT. She then earned a Masters of Engineering from Howard University and became the first African-American woman to receive Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace option from Howard University. She is also the first African American female to receive a Ph.D. in Engineering at NASA /Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC).

Currently, Dr. Ericsson-Jackson is an aerospace engineer at the NASA/GSFC in the Guidance, Navigation & Control Center. Occasionally, she serves as an Adjunct Professor at Bowie State University and Howard University. Dr. Ericsson-Jackson helped Bowie State improve their engineering curriculum by designing two new courses for the freshmen and sophomore students: a professional engineering overview seminar and an engineering design course. You can contact Dr. Ericsson-Jackson at aejackso@pop500.gstc.nasa.gov.

William H. Ramsey '51 Fund:
An Investment in the Future

Each year, corporations, foundations, and individual sponsors provide 80% of the operating funds for the MITE²S program. With the strong economy of recent years, the program has been able to host 58-62 students, however, there have been lean times when the program could only host as few as 42 participants. To reduce the impact of economic fluctuations, our goal is to grow the William H. Ramsey '51 Fund, named in honor of Mr. Ramsey who was MITES director from 1988 to 1995.

You may give to the William H. Ramsey '51 Fund by making your check payable to "Massachusetts Institute of Technology" and mail it, along with a short note stating the purpose of your gift (contribution to the William H. Ramsey '51 Fund), to the following address:

MIT Alumni Fund
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Room W92-280
77 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02139-4307

Of course your contributions to MITE²S and the William H. Ramsey '51 Fund are tax-deductible.

Let Us Know What's Happening

We would like to keep our alumni information accurate, so use the Alumni Locator to inform us about the college you attended, your major, and your career status. You decide if you want the information posted on our web site. Check out the Alumni Profiles and see what other MITE²S alums are doing.

Last updated: 16 November 2000