Launched in the summer of 2015 by Professor Erik Hom, ARISE@UM is the first unified umbrella program to offer Mississippi high school students the opportunity to pursue faculty-mentored research experiences in STEM departments across campus.
Through grassroots fundraising efforts, participation in the ARISE program is cost-free. Most students participate for four weeks, although it is not uncommon for some to participate for eight weeks, during which time they are provided room and board on campus. Beyond daily laboratory experience, programs are offered about STEM careers, academic success, and scientific writing and communication of results and knowledge.
It has become increasingly clear that “doing science” is the only way to acquire experiential knowledge and a deeper appreciation and genuine understanding of how scientific principles are and can be applied. Accumulating evidence shows that research experiences are vital for STEM success, which is in turn critical for the well-being of our state and country. ARISE aims to better serve, recruit, engage, and equip the next generation of STEM workers in Mississippi, and to nurture a literate citizenry with habits of lifelong-learning, particularly those from economic-disadvantaged backgrounds.
