The Princeton University Materials Academy (PUMA) for High School Students

PCCM: Educational Outreach

In summer 2002, PCCM’s PUMA program, with the collaboration of PCCM and PMI faculty, staff, students, PCCM Outreach Director Dan Steinberg and Lead Teacher Pete Gange developed and delivered two courses of science study for 45 economically underprivileged students from Trenton, Ewing and Princeton. The students were participants in the Princeton University Preparatory Program (PUPP).

PUMA 2002 was designed to be two separate and unique programs. Each class met 5 times a week, 70 minutes per day for the PUPP Sophomores and 70 minutes per day for the PUPP Juniors. None of the students had completed a high school Physics course. Only one of the 45 students expressed a prior interest in science yet it was extremely highly rated by the students in every area evaluated (see above). Among PUMA’s highlighted features are:

• A challenging program to help prepare the students for admission into selective universities
• A program that includes meaningful interaction with university professors from PCCM
• A program that recognizes and strengthens an individual cognitive styles
• A program that encourages study and work habits that support a high level performance in school subjects
• A program that complies with the New Jersey Core State Core Curriculum Standards in Science
• Lessons that stress the inquiry method of instruction with “hands-on” activities
• A program that complements existing science programs without duplication