Summer Bridge

Supported in part through the National Science Foundation LSAMP

Building a strong foundation for academic and professional achievement

Our goal is for each Summer Bridge student to:

Develop a peer group
Earn the money they need for college
Boost their math skills
Meet mentors
Solidify their vision of a career in the sciences or engineering
Understand the importance of a supportive community/study group
Learn to navigate at the University
Link up with firms that will provide internships through graduation and beyond
Learn what it is like to work in a corporate office setting
Enroll in the ANSEP University Success Component
Graduate with a B.S. in a STEM discipline

Summer Bridge started with eight students in 1998 at BP. During summer 2011 there were 25 students at Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G), BP Exploration (Alaska), Inc., Bureau of Land Management (BLM), ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, NANA Dowl HKM, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), UAA Department of Health Sciences/CAHDRE, United States of Fish and Wildlife Service (USF&WS), United States Forest Service (USFS), and United States Geological Survey (USGS).

Watch our Summer Bridge Video:

How the Summer Bridge component works

Summer Bridge is aimed at recent high school graduates who will be attending the University of Alaska (UA) in the fall. The Summer Bridge was started at the University of Washington in the mid nineties as a way to mitigate some of the problems Indigenous students had due to poor math preparation as well as issues related to career awareness and transitioning to the University from rural communities. The University of Alaska adopted the Summer Bridge in 1998. The success of the Pre-College component has dramatically improved both the quality and the quantity of students applying for the Summer Bridge.

Students spend their first week doing a campus orientation and team building activities developing a cohort.

Anchorage Based Students:

Starting the second week and throughout the rest of the Summer Bridge these students spend 2 hours every morning from 8 am to 10 am in a college level math course that prepares them for University level math at UA. The students work the remainder of the day on engineering or science internships within our partner organizations. They come back to ANSEP for dinner and work in teams on their homework. The students also attend Friday morning field trips to different industry service companies and participate in lunchtime presentations which broaden their knowledge of the engineering, construction, and sciences.

Field Based Students:

The students spend week 1 through 5 completing a college level math course to ready them for UA math and doing safety training to ready them to work in the field. The students then spend 4 weeks in the field doing a full-time internship with engineers or scientists. The students come back to UAA for their last day.

On the weekends the students are in town they participate in fun team building activities such as rock climbing, hiking, go carting, and movies. At the end of the summer the students present their project results to supervisors, mentors, and the other team members. Students who successfully complete the program are awarded scholarship support. The pace of the summer is tough, but students enjoy it and rise to the challenge year after year.

Application Process

For a complete application we will need the following. You can upload them to your online application or send by mail, email or fax to the following address along with a printout of your online application:

Complete the Online or Paper Application.
Official copies of your current high school transcripts.
Official copies of SAT/ACT Scores-if you do not take these you need to take the Accuplacer with UAA (http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/advising-testing/assessment/accuplacer.cfm).
Current Résumé.
Three (3) reference letters from teachers or counselors on why you should be selected for the ANSEP Summer Bridge - these should be actual letters, the Pre-College form is not acceptable.
An essay using 500 words or less explaining why you should be selected to participate.
On a separate sheet write a list of four (4) goals for what kind of job you'd like to get within the Summer Bridge. Please be specific to your career interests—this helps us place each student appropriately.
If applicable, provide proof of Alaska Native Heritage/BIA or Village Card.

Applications deadline extended to Friday, February 24th!

The 2012 Summer Bridge will begin Monday, May 28 (this is Memorial Day)!

The 2012 Summer Bridge will end Friday, July 27.

Summer Bridge Paper Application/Brochure:

ANSEP Summer Bridge Application 2012 (284 KB)

Go to our Media Gallery to see our Summer Bridge commercial and video!

Contact

Michele Yatchmeneff, ANSEP Deputy Director
3211 Providence Drive, ANSEP 200D1
Anchorage, AK 99508-4614
Phone: (907) 786-1853 Fax: (907) 786-1899
E-mail: michele@uaa.alaska.edu