BALTIMORE — During its 10th External Learning Experience, the Maryland Business Roundtable for Education (MBRT) sent nearly 50 Next Generation Scholars from Kent County High School and Cambridge-South Dorchester High School to participate in Washington College’s STEM Day on Nov. 6, from 9 a.m. – 1:45 p.m.

This daylong program is designed as a hands-on education event for students in grades 9–11 to discover programs offered at the college and inspire various career interests as they plan their future.

While at Washington College, students will participate in STEM-related labs presented by college professors and current students, tour the college and eat lunch on campus. Washington College’s biology, chemistry, environmental science, math and physics departments are offering labs that allow students to explore toxicology, forensic anthropology, the synthesis of fluorenol, the impact of environmental stressors on organisms, origami, the speed of light, and optics of the human eye.

Previously, MBRT hosted similar External Learning Experiences at Allegany College of Maryland; Bowie State University; Chesapeake College; Frostburg University; Hood College; Salisbury University; University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC); University of Maryland Eastern Shore; and Towson University. They also hosted students from Allegany, Caroline, Dorchester, Kent and Wicomico counties at the 2019 Baltimore National College Fair and Discovery Fest 2019 at the Aberdeen Proving Ground.

For more than 25 years, MBRT has been connecting the business community with local schools through its Maryland Scholars Speakers Bureau, and STEM Specialists in the Classroom programs.

In 2017, MBRT added the Next Generation Scholars program, which provides funding through the Howard P. Rawlings Maryland Guaranteed Access Grant, administered by the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC), to enhance education and career awareness as well as college completion for high school students with a demonstrated financial need.

The Guaranteed Access Grant provides an award that will help cover the cost of full-time study at a Maryland college or university for low-income families.

MBRT currently serves nearly 2,000 students in six high schools across five counties. The organization is one of several that partner with leadership and school counselors at select schools throughout the state to provide grade-specific services to ensure that students eligible for Next Generation Scholars graduate ready for their next steps in college, career and life.

MBRT coordinators help students and parents understand that college is an option for everyone while bridging the knowledge gap that exists for many families about college and their chosen career paths.
Learn more about MBRT’s Next Generation Scholars program at www.mbrt.org/nextgen.