On Saturday, June 25, 2016, a devoted group of industry professionals, educators, legislators, non-profit program providers, and community members gathered at the OCSTA Symposium to sound the call for greater collaboration and support for more computer science-literate students in Oregon.  To accomplish this, we desperately need more computer science instruction in formal K-12 education, but the formal education system cannot do this alone. Programs like Saturday Academy’s Apprenticeships in Science and Engineering (ASE) Program provide a launch pad for students to experience computer science, among other STEM fields, in the real world and explore careers first-hand.  For 28 years, the ASE Program has been offering

high school students the opportunity to spend the summer in a full-time internship working in industry, research, government, and non-profit agencies. Over a quarter of ASE’s offerings are either in computer science or have a strong computer science component. Students can apply to positions such as Cloud Infrastructure and Software Internship at Intel, Automated Build Tools at IBM, Security Games and Machine Learning Methods for Computer Vision at PSU and Visually Engaging Graphic Development for eLearning at Bonneville Power Administration.

Every year, the demand for this experience surpasses the supply. Between 500-700 students apply for approximately 150 ASE internships in Portland, Vancouver, Corvallis, Eugene, and Bend. The ASE Program is much more than an internship. It is successful due to the individual impact and experience it offers each student. Take for example Mara Downing. Mara was sophomore in 2014 when she applied to ASE. She was a bit timid, but excited about the possibilities of computer science and programming from working with Thinkersmith and Kiki Prottsman in Eugene.  Mara was a great fit for an OSU internship on Educational Tool Technology with Dr. Stephanie Bollman.  That internship was successful because while Mara learned new skills (programming in bash and Perl) it gave Dr. Bollman the opportunity to see how productive and motivated a high school student can be in a professional setting. I am thrilled to convey that Mara graduated valedictorian a few weeks ago and will be off to Harvey Mudd in the fall.  Mara’s experience is one of thousands of ASE interns and Dr. Bollman’s is one of thousands of ASE mentors. High school students are eager for these pre-professional experiences. The ASE Program seeks to reduce the barriers for young people to experience careers now as they make critical decisions about the future.  We are always looking for more mentors and organizations to support ASE.  Contact Julia Soto at julia@saturdayacademy.org to learn more.

• Slides SatAcad-ASE-internships

Thanks to Julia Soto, Saturday Academy, for this post. Saturday Academy is an affiliate of the University of Portland.

Update: photos, logo, UP affiliation.