HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — Incoming UAH freshman planning to major in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics fields can now apply for The Rocket Booster Summer Bridge Program.

The university has launched the program to help students transition from high school to college. It will run from July 10-21 on UAH’s campus, and participants will live in on-campus housing.

Participants will attend three ‘mini-courses’ so they can experience college life firsthand. They’ll also have opportunities for personal and professional development through workshops and field trips to local employers.

Dr. Sharifa Love-Rutledge, a UAH Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry, told News 19 that the two-week program aims to increase the number of students who successfully complete STEM courses and go on to work in STEM fields.

“Our existing bridge – 80% of the students who do it, stay here and graduate from here. We want to expand that, so we have more students staying here and graduating from here,” Dr. Love-Rutledge.

To apply for the program, students must meet these basic requirements:

  • Be admitted to UAH
  • Indicate they would major in a discipline in the College of Engineering or College of Science
  • Have an ACT score of 24 or 3.5 high school GPA in math, science and English

Additionally, applicants must be part of at least one of the following groups:

  • Have attended a Title I high school
  • Not taken any AP science or math courses
  • Not taken calculus
  • First-generation college student
  • Pell Grant eligible
  • Underrepresented race or gender in STEM

“Sometimes the biggest barrier is putting yourself out there,” said Dr. Love-Rutledge. “Let me tell you ‘no,’ don’t tell yourself ‘no.’ You never know what you’ll get just by applying, just by putting yourself out there.”

The Rocket Booster Summer Bridge Program is funded by a grant from the Alabama Commission on Higher Education through the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund, a federal funding stream through the U.S. Department of Education.

To apply for the Summer Bridge Program or for more information, you can visit this link.

Have any questions about the program? You can email rocketbridge@uah.edu. 

For more information about The Alabama Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Program, you can email alsamp@uah.edu or visit this link.