Summer at Smith College

Summer Science & Engineering Program

夏季科学与工程项目（SSEP）

史密斯暑期科学与工程项目 (SSEP) 专为对科学和工程学有着浓厚兴趣的优秀高中生而设计。与史密斯生命科学和物理科学以及工程学教授一起参与实践研究。该项目成立于 1990 年，每年服务超过 100 名学生。自成立以来，已有近 1,800 名学生参加，他们来自 46 个州和 53 个国家。项目结束后，参与者回到高中后会更好地准备应对艰难的科学课程，并了解大学生活。

Smith College is among the top-rated liberal arts colleges in the United States and one of the nation's largest colleges dedicated solely to the education of women. The Smith science faculty employs some of the finest researchers and teachers in the country. In 1999 Smith became the first women's college in the nation to establish its own program in engineering science, the Picker Engineering Program.

Central to the program is a learning environment that is rich in role models. SSEP offers hands-on, cooperative, investigative, and challenging learning—where girls get all of the faculty's attention as well as the opportunities and encouragement to achieve their best. Smith undergraduate students with science majors also serve as teaching assistants.

Research Courses

Unlike regular school classes, SSEP research courses emphasize asking questions and learning by doing, not only by listening and watching.

Students choose two two-week research courses; in these, groups of up to 17 students work alongside Smith faculty members, assisted by undergraduate interns. Informal lectures in the laboratory and out in the field encourage students to ask research questions, and they learn to conduct actual experiments. Most of the work is carried out as a cooperative team effort, with ample opportunities for individual contributions. SSEP participants learn how scientists and engineers formulate questions, work on amazingly sophisticated scientific instruments, and develop valuable critical thinking and analytical skills.