Math and Science Institute marks 10th summer
At the Math and Science Institute Awards Luncheon on Wednesday, 51 students received certificates for completing what was the 10th iteration of this award-winning summer program for high school and college students with a keen interest and aptitude in these subjects.
MSI held its first summer session in 2008 with 23 students, and in 2010, it won the Chancellor’s Best Practice Award from the Florida College System. Building on this early success, MSI has continued to earn its outstanding reputation by combining rigorous college-level courses taught by College faculty with real-world projects and experiences. The eight-week program offers students a choice of science classes in the life sciences, biotechnology, environmental science and physics as well as math courses in calculus and statistics. When not in class or working on projects, students take behind-the-scenes tours of high-profile organizations like Scripps Florida and Lockheed Martin and visit such places as the Kennedy Space Center and the medical school at Nova Southeastern University.
Based at the Bioscience Technology Complex on the Palm Beach Gardens campus, MSI attracts top-notch students from all over Palm Beach County, who vie for a spot in the limited-access, highly-selective program. MSI is considered on par with summer institutes at leading schools like Harvard and Stanford.
Dr. Dennis Gallon, PBSC’s fourth president, first envisioned the College as home to a world-class math-science institute, and to make it happen, he tapped Scott MacLachlan, dean of student services for the Palm Beach Gardens campus.
“The past ten years have been excellent in serving students and the local high-tech industry,” MacLachlan said. “These partnerships have been great in enabling students to see what’s available for their future careers. So many of the students have told us it’s been one of the best experiences they’ve ever had.”
Learn more about the Math and Science Institute at www.palmbeachstate.edu/MSI.
View the photo album from the MSI Awards Luncheon.