Nov. 13, 2014
CWU Welcomes 350 GEAR UP Students on Saturday
More than 350 ninth- and tenth-grade students and their parents from Brewster, Chelan, Manson, Tonasket, Highland, Quincy, Omak, Oroville and Wenatchee school districts will attend Central Washington University's GEAR UP college preparation workshop and VEX Robotics training on Saturday November 15.
GEAR UP, a federally funded program, stands for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs. Its mission is to increase the number of low-income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education.
Students and their families will participate in a day of workshops and hands-on science activities, including a “Why go to College” a presentation and panel discussion, led by CWU students. Career Services will introduce career exploration, and the Financial Aid office will discuss college financial aid options.
The GEAR UP Discovering Science Connections team, mentored by Steve Wagner, professor, biological sciences, and graduate students Anne Salow and David Reavill, will lead workshops that focus on reptiles and amphibians, birds, and primate skulls. In addition, students on the GEAR UP VEX robotics teams will meet in Hogue Hall to prepare for the upcoming December 6 VEX competition.
Students will earn an Anthropology Passport at the Museum for Culture and Environment coordinated by the museum’s director Mark Auslander, and staff Hope Amason and Lori Sheeran. Students will explore DNA extraction with Professor Joe Lorenz, discover ancient stone tools with the geography graduate students, and study macaque behavior with Primate Behavior and Ecology student Sara Perdue. The day will end with a tour through the MCE exhibit, How Did the Cougar Cross the Road, which explains wildlife passages and genetic diversity/connectivity across Snoqualmie Pass.
The CWU MOSAIC2 GEAR UP Project serves 2,040 students in in central Washington. GEAR UP provides critical early college awareness and support activities like tutoring, mentoring, academic preparation, financial education and college scholarships to improve access to higher education for low income, minority and disadvantaged first-generation students and their families.
Media Contact: Valerie Chapman-Stockwell, Public Affairs, 509-963-1518, valeriec@cwu.edu